I See You
by Peggy Badass Carter
Summary: Takes place after 1x08. Recent events have made Peggy Carter see Jack Thompson in a whole new light. This is their journey towards discovering each other and overcoming their fears and losses- together.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N- Hey guys I am really new to the Agent Carter fandom and I am no writer. I just wrote this story after looking for some good long cartson fanfics and not being able to find many. English is not my first language and I would be really grateful if you guys could leave reviews about what I've written till now. It is your response to this story that'll determine if I'll carry it forward or not. Please leave a review!)

Agent Peggy Carter had lived a life filled with losses. The people closest to her had a tendency to leave and she blamed herself for these losses. In her words it was she who got them killed. She thought she had found her soulmate in Steve Rogers (who was better known to the world as Captain America). However that love story was not meant to have a happy ending.

After losing Steve, Peggy thought it impossible to love again. The loss of her one true love had made Peggy put up walls around her, never letting anybody in, for the fear of losing them. She was only too aware of the fact that it was she who was to be blamed for her dear friend and roommate Colleen's murder just a few weeks back and the guilt had been gnawing her ever since. This was the reason why she had been very hesitant in taking up Angie's offer to live in her building. Ultimately she had caved.

However, given the events that had occurred in the past month, what with federal agents sweeping the place and two tenants with secret identities (one of them a trained soviet assassin), it was quite understandable why her landlady Mrs. Fry had absolutely refused to shelter Peggy a moment longer. For the last 4 weeks Peggy had been living with her friend Angie in a house owned by her billionaire friend and world renowned inventor Howard Stark whose name had been cleared by Peggy. She was, however, in desperate need of a proper residence of her own despite the luxury of Howard's villa and his repeated assurances that she was welcome to stay there for as long as she wished.

While things were certainly gloomy on the house hunting front, Peggy had seen a welcome change in her workplace. She was now treated with respect by her fellow agents, given how she had prevented Manhattan from a grave crisis. Of course no one but a few people actually knew how big a role she had played in the whole operation, but the reason for this change in atmosphere was, according to Peggy, a person named agent Thompson...well, Chief Thompson. He had surprised her with his civil behavior since becoming the chief.

To be honest, she had felt a pang of regret for not being recognized for doing her job well, but mostly she was happy for Thompson. After their brief stay in Russia she had come to see agent Thompson in a completely different light. She knew everyone who had witnessed the war firsthand had been terribly affected by it, but somehow seeing Jack Thompson, the cocky, arrogant and self- assured Thompson as vulnerable as he was in Russia, made him seem somehow more human to Peggy, someone who had his own weaknesses and battles to fight. He was still cocky and arrogant, but now he was a tamer version of his earlier self. This was a welcome change to say the least. Also, he had decided to cut down on his sexist remarks and had been treating Peggy with respect, and this, according to her, had made everyone else start treating her like the federal agent she was, instead of treating her like a secretary who brought them their lunches and served them coffee.

Just as Peggy was thinking about how Jack Thompson had somehow single handedly changed her life at the SSR, her thoughts were interrupted by the presence of a woman in a waitress's uniform. She was none other than Angela Martinelli, who happened to be Peggy's closest friend and confidante and who aspired to be a broad way star someday.

"Hey English," greeted Angie, using her nickname for Peggy, "How's the house hunting going? Still no luck?" she asked.

"No!" groaned Peggy, finishing the cup of coffee she had been drinking and fishing in her purse for money to pay for the breakfast she'd just had at the diner, "all the places I've seen till now have been most unsuitable. For how long am I supposed to live at Howard's place? Isn't there any decent place left for a woman to live in this city?"

"Give it a few more days, something will come up." Angie assured her. "It's a shame they didn't have any extra room at the place I'm moving to. Oh, what a pain it will be to live with 2 more women after having stayed at a billionaire's villa! At least I made the most of it" finished Angie, sounding a bit happier.

"Well," said Peggy, getting up from her booth, "I better leave if I don't want to lose my job. I don't expect Chief Thompson will be pleased if I am late."

"Oh yeah!" said Angie, "The blondie who calls his grandmother Gam Gam! He's been rather friendly with you... a bit _too _ friendly, don't you think?" she smirked.

"Come on Angie, he's just being nice to me because of what we've been through. There's nothing more to it. Honestly you have to stop teasing me about him!" Peggy huffed.

For the last 2 weeks Angie had been pestering Peggy, trying to make her believe that maybe Jack Thompson was being nice to her because he had begun to have feelings for her. To Peggy, it was all rubbish. Jack Thompson was nothing but professional towards her (maybe a bit more civil and friendly these last couple of weeks) and the idea of him being interested in her was almost ludicrous.

"Oh come on Pegs, one day you'll realize that I am right about this. Trust me, I've had more experience with men than you have! Oh yeah.. And if you guys do end up going out, tell him to improve his skills with the ladies, he isn't all that great around emotional women, from what I saw" laughed Angie.

"Goodbye Angie" said Peggy, preferring not to get into this so early in the morning, "I'll meet you later". With this she left the diner to go to her place of work, the headquarters of the Strategic Scientific Research.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – **Thanks for following favouriting (is that what it's called?) it! But I really wish you'd leave some reviews! I don't care if they're good or bad! Just let me know how the story's going! I welcome suggestions on your part!

30 minutes later, Peggy was in the middle of a meeting with her fellow SSR agents, discussing the new assignment that involved the capture of trained Russian female assassins. From what Peggy had seen of Dottie Underwood, it was going to be anything but easy to capture more of her kind. Thompson was addressing the meeting, as usual.

He looks so determined, thought Peggy, it's good to know Chief Dooley has been replaced by him, someone who knows exactly what to do and how to do it. His eyes have a determined look in them, those bright blue eyes that light up when he smiles one of his rare smiles. His lop sided smile was something you saw rarely, yet it made you want to know the reason behind it.

Just as Peggy was thinking about Agent Thompson's facial features, she was brought to reality when she heard her name being called by none other than agent Sousa, a co-worker she really liked and respected.

"Agent Carter, I was just saying that this assignment may involve a lot of code breaking and since you're our best code breaker here, and what with your vast experience and knowledge about the USSR, I suggest you head this assignment." said Sousa.

Everyone looked at him with disbelief clearly etched on their faces. No doubt they didn't think Peggy capable of handling such a big responsibility. Everyone except Thompson. He had a calculating look on his face and after a minute he said "Alright carter, Sousa's right. You're heading this mission".

The disbelief was now directed towards agent Thompson.

"You think so, Chief Thompson?" said Peggy.

"Of course I do, or I wouldn't have agreed to it, Carter. I believe you're our best shot. And if you're half as good as you were in Russia, I have no doubt that we'll be able to capture at least one such assassin" finished Thompson , with a look of admiration directed towards her.

Peggy blushed, the first time this had ever happened in this office, and muttered a thank you.

"It's settled then" said Thompson "Agent Carter will head this mission and she'll be assisted by Agent Sousa and Agent Smith. Of course, I'll oversee the whole operation. Feel free to ask for any assistance if required". With that he left the room and gradually everyone else dispersed too.

Peggy could not understand why she had blushed at what agent Thompson had just said. Maybe because this was the first time he had ever praised her openly. _Or maybe,_ said another voice in her head, _it was because you were caught focusing a bit too much on his smile. _Oh rubbish, she was merely…. observing, this was her job- to observe things going on around her. She had blushed because she had been caught off guard, that's all. There was no other reason for her to have blushed in front of agent Thompson. Agent Thompson of all people! Ha! That's settled then, thought Peggy triumphantly as she left the room to prepare for the mission.

Inside his cabin, Agent Thompson was supposed to be catching up on his paper work. He sighed, having never had any desire to do such tedious and incredibly dull work such as filing and reviewing various documents. Now that he was chief so of course, he had more work to do, a lot of which involved this paper work. He wondered how Chief Dooley had managed everything so smoothly.

Damn, he missed his former boss. Thompson was reminded of the day Dooley had died, how he had asked Peggy to catch the bastard who was behind it. Dooley knew, in his last moments, how Peggy was the only one who could put an end to that crisis.

Agent Margaret Carter, Jack thought, how that woman had single handedly prevented that major crisis! Of course, he knew she was capable, but just how much so he had found out just then. She was a strong woman, not one of those damsels in distress who constantly needed a man by their side to protect them. Hell, she was _more_ than capable of protecting herself, which he had witnessed firsthand when she had punched him in that alley. Jack smiled at the memory. He no longer saw Carter as a burden on the SSR, someone who could only be trusted with phone calls and lunch orders.

Russia had been something of an eye opener for him. Not only was Peggy dangerously smart and efficient, she was also compassionate. He didn't know why he had opened up to her about what really happened in Japan but he did not regret it. It felt good to have shared what he had been keeping inside him for a long time. Moreover, she had not mentioned to anyone what had happened in Russia, how he had found himself paralyzed with fear once the firing had begun.

Peggy Carter, with those blood red lips and high heels, gifted with superb intelligence and ravishing good looks and a smart mouth, thought Jack. He was certain that he did not have any feelings for Carter, but all the same, he was seeing her in a new light.

While Jack had been thinking this, he did not realise the smile that had appeared on his face. Nor did he realise that outside the glass doors of his cabin, he was being 'observed' by Peggy Carter, who had no idea why Chief Jack Thompson had a smile on his face with a bunch of paper work laid out on his desk, but which nevertheless made her smile too.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Thank you for following this story. I am not really into the whole Captain America fandom so my knowledge of it is fairly limited. Please feel free to correct me if I make any errors in the forthcoming chapters regarding the details. As always, feedback is appreciated!

Peggy was now working diligently on her first _real _ mission. This day was of great accomplishment for her, for she was finally seen as being capable of what she was hired to do. Her fellow agents' shocked expressions were proof enough of the fact that while they had come to accept Peggy as more than the lady who took phone calls and brought them their lunch, they didn't really consider her to be their equal. _Well, we'll just have to change that, wont we_? thought Peggy. _I'll prove to them I am just as capable as they are. Thompson has trusted me and I will not give him an opportunity to regret his decision. _

Peggy and Daniel had been working on their newest mission all throughout the day. They sat pouring over all the possible information that could lead them to these assassins. They had been thinking of nothing but this, putting forward different ideas. Having almost no information or background about these covert assassins had been a big setback to say the least. For the last hour and a half, Peggy had been brainstorming with Daniel, Agent Smith having left the office at 5 which was the standard time for everyone to clock out.

"So, we know it'll be a young female between 20 to 30 years of age, someone who'll be able to lure influential men into handing over secrets of the US. Of course, they'll be highly trained in combat, given what I saw in Russia and what I saw of Dorothy Underwood" said Peggy.

"The problem is that with thousands of young girls living in New York, it'll be next to impossible to find such women, especially when they've been trained for this their whole life." said Daniel.

"What if we forget about the female assassins for the moment and try to find some other way of reaching Leviathan?" asked Peggy.

"What do you mean? Do you have something in mind?" Daniel asked quickly.

"Well, I was just thinking that we still have that typewriter, don't we? The one that apparently typed on its own?"Peggy enquired.

"Yeah, we still have it. As a matter of fact, we still haven't been able to figure out how it's doing that." said Daniel.

"I wonder if that could provide us with a clue. I know we don't know who created it but there must be _something_ that'll tell us where it was manufactured. We'll take another look at it. What do you think?" Peggy asked.

"We could try, though I highly doubt we'll find anything new. We'll leave that for tomorrow, okay? We're already late as it is." finished Daniel.

Peggy, who had been too consumed by the case looked at the time, looked at the time and was shocked to see it was already 7:30 p.m. "Oh heavens, I had a whole lot of filing to finish today. I guess I was too caught up in the case. Now I'll have to sit here and finish all that bloody paper work!" she groaned.

"Hah! I guess the thrill of getting your first _proper _mission made you forget the most boring part of working at SSR." Daniel laughed. "Do you want any help with it?" he offered kindly.

"Oh no, I couldn't ask you to suffer through this! Thanks for the offer though! Don't worry, I'll be done in half an hour. You should leave, it's getting late" she finished.

"Yeah well okay. I'll see you tomorrow then Peggy! Goodbye." With that Daniel left the office.

For the next half an hour, Peggy worked on her paperwork. She was so engrossed in it that she failed to notice that she was not alone.

"I knew you'd take your job seriously Carter but I didn't know just how much" said Thompson, locking his office for the night. "Jeez Carter, there's something called over enthusiasm. Ever heard of it?" he mocked.

"Oh I didn't notice that I wasn't the only one working here. And the same can be said for you, don't you think, Chief ? she retorted.

"Ah well, being Chief means major paper work. It's a pain in the ass really. Reminds me of the good old days when I did not have to spend my time answering politicians and filling out legal stuff." Jack said.

"So, your dream job has turned out to be not so dreamy then, Chief Thompson? Peggy asked.

"Well, it definitely has its perks. I can afford a better car now" Jack smiled at Peggy.

"I really want you to know that I am glad you were made the Chief, Agent Thompson. I know it really doesn't matter what my opinion on the whole thing is but I just want you to know that you're a good leader" said Peggy.

"Who says your opinion doesn't matter? Of course it does. I know you must hate me for taking the credit in the whole Howard Stark affair-"Jack was saying when Peggy interrupted him.

"I don't hate you Agent Thompson. I wasn't the only one who worked on that case. You deserve to take the credit. And you becoming Chief has certainly turned my life around at SSR. It's because of you that all the rest of the agents give me some respect" she finished.

"That's rubbish. They respect you because of what you've done for the SSR. I may have had a hand in setting something of an example but trust me Carter, no one deserves respect more than you after what you've done, not just for the SSR, but for the city of New York." said Jack.

Peggy flushed. _What on earth is up with me? Why am I getting so flustered today? _She wondered. Perhaps it was because she was not used to getting compliments from Agent Thompson, at least not genuine ones. Once again, feeling embarrassed, she muttered a thank you.

"I must leave now. Pretty late to be out." Said Peggy as she began picking up her things and clearing the desk.

"How are you getting back home? Surely not by a cab? It's too late for a dame to be out alone." said Jack.

Anger flared up inside Peggy. After all this, he still didn't think her capable enough to protect her own goddamn self. "Yes, by a cab, Chief Thompson, since I do not hold the chief's post and so I do not have the money to own a car!" she said angrily.

"Easy there Carter, I have no doubt you can protect yourself. It doesn't stop me worrying though" said Jack.

_Wait. What did I just say? Did I just say that out loud to Carter? _He thought. He quickly decided to change the topic and said " I just think it'll be easier if I drop you home tonight Carter. That's all I meant."

"Oh! Umm.. alright then.. it'll save me the trouble of looking for a cab that's for sure. "said Peggy, who was too baffled after what Thompson had said about being worried about her.

10 minutes later Peggy was seated next to Jack in his car. While they were no longer the bickering colleagues they had once been, they still didn't know how to act around each other, neither used to being in the other one's company outside of the office. Needless to say, the first 15 minutes of the journey were spent in silence, with both Peggy and Jack trying to think of a topic to start a conversation. Finally, Jack decided to talk about something they both would have plenty to say about-work.

"So" he began, "How is your mission coming along Carter? Find any leads?" he asked.

"Some" said Peggy, "though I'd rather not say anything until I have solid evidence in my hand." she said.

"Well, you can come to me anytime if you need any help, you know that right?said Jack.

Normally, this sort of comment would have infuriated the old Peggy, she would have seen it as a further example of Thompson's belief in his own superiority, but she knew he meant it genuinely, that he really was willing to help out.

"I'll be sure to keep you informed Chief." she said.

"Where do I turn from here?" asked Jack, having no idea where Peggy was living these days.

"Oh, you can drop me here. I live only a few blocks ahead. It's quite late, you should head home now." Peggy said. She was not trying to blow off Thompson but she felt embarrassed to show him that she was staying in Howard Stark's mansion.

"Come on, I'll drop you right at your doorstep. It's not a big deal Carter." he said.

"Fine" sighed Peggy, "The house is just down the lane" she said.

In a minute, they had reached the gates of Howard Stark's mansion. Jack whistled and looked at Peggy. "Not too shabby Carter. I didn't know you earned more than me." he joked.

"Oh, it's just a temporary residence till the time I find a proper place to live in. I can't wait to be out of here. It's not like I don't like the luxury of living here, but this kind of life is not for me." she said.

Jack smiled , _hmm, so she doesn't like the big grand house. Looks like she isn't like most women who'd give anything to live here, _he thought.

"Well, I better take off if I want to get home in time. I'll see you tomorrow Carter. Adios!" he said as he started his car.

"Goodnight Chief." smiled Peggy, remembering a conversation (if you could call it that)from not too long ago wherein she had questioned his knowledge of the alphabet and he had responded with Aloha, Adios and Auf weidersehen. "And thank you for the ride. "she added and waved him a goodbye.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- Thank you for following this story guys and for those lovely reviews! This is a slightly longer chapter. Most of it focuses on the mission, since I thought that's vital to the story. And please do not think that I am shipping Peggysous here, but I do like the idea of Daniel and Peggy as being close friends and confidantes. I hope you like it.

The next day, the first thing Peggy and Daniel did was to look for the "magic" typewriter. This did not take long, as the typewriter was kept safely in the SSR lab where the SSR scientists were trying to figure out how the damned machine worked. Sadly, they were nowhere close to the answer.

Peggy found it rather odd that Agent Smith, who was a fairly new recruit, having joined the SSR just 3 weeks ago, seemed to be missing. This was after all, his first proper mission, and most lads here would have been thrilled to be a part of this. Agent Smith on the other hand, seemed rather unconcerned. He had left early the night before, and was yet to show up to work this morning. Deciding not to pay any more attention to this, Peggy went inside the lab with Daniel where they were greeted by SSR's head of scientific research Robert Jackson.

"Morning Agent Sounsa, Agent Carter. What brings you here?" said Jackson.

"We were wondering if you could show us the typewriter we found during the Howard Stark case."said Sousa.

"Ah, the typewriter" said Jackson, "I am baffled by how it's working. Of course, I would have made better progress with it, had the SSR allowed me to actually open up that goddamn machine. But I have been ordered not to do anything that might damage it permanently since you agents might require it in your case against Leviathan."

Jackson's tone made it quite clear that he resented this decision. But they did not have time for this so Peggy said "Yes, Mr. Jackson, it may lead us to a breakthrough in this case. If we could just have it for a day or two..." she finished.

5 minutes later both Peggy and Daniel were huddled around the typewriter with a magnifying glass, both trying to look for any mark of identification as to where it came from. After a few minutes, Daniel exclaimed "Look, there's a symbol here Peggy. It's tiny but I think that's a G and a B. I think it must be the mark of the shop that either sold or created this thing!"

Peggy quickly checked for herself, and said "I think you're right Daniel. But of course these letters could mean a thousand different things. How are we to locate these makers? "

Daniel said, "I suppose we could look at all the typewriter manufacturers in New York. I just hope that it isn't something they brought over directly from Russia."

"Let's do that. We'll look up all the manufacturers in the city with these initials. I don't think there will be many of them." Peggy said.

After about an hour, they had come across 5 such manufacturers located in or near the city. Just when both Daniel and Peggy were about to leave the office to take a look at all those shops, they were greeted by Agent Smith.

"Good Morning Agent Sousa, Agent Carter. I was just coming to meet you to start the day's work-" he started, when Peggy interrupted him

"Work started about 2 hours ago Agent Smith. You seem to have forgotten office hours or maybe you had some place more important to be." she said scathingly.

"You're not making a very good impression Agent, given how you've just joined as the junior agent and how such behavior may result in you being taken off the case. Not so good for someone like you, Smith."said Daniel.

"I am very sorry agents, I just had a long night...family issues" said Agent Smith apologetically.

_Well he certainly looks like he had a long night, with those bags under his eyes,_ thought Peggy.

"I hope this won't be repeated Agent. We are all expected to put our duties before any family obligations. I wish you'd keep that in mind." said Daniel.

"We'll ignore it this time agent, but since you've played no fruitful role in the investigation yet, you'll have to sit in the office and look for any possible clues you might find on Leviathan. All the files are in the Stock room. Meanwhile, agent Sousa and I are going to look for the manufacturers of that mysterious typewriter." said Peggy.

With that, both Peggy and Daniel went to look for the sellers of this mysterious machine.

The first 3 were nothing but a waste of time, all manufacturers dismissing the idea of a self-typing machine as preposterous. Both of them had just entered the fourth shop, a tiny little shop with a board bearing the name The Grekov Brothers, when they were greeted by a surly middle aged man.

"Good morning. How may I be of assistance?" he said in an accent Peggy recognized as being pure Russian. _This may actually be the right place_, she thought. _I mean, what better way to get your hands on something like this without arousing suspicion! _

Peggy gave a significant look to Daniel and said quite bluntly, "Mr. Grekov, we wanted to see one of your self-typing typewriters."

"What?" the man exclaimed, "we do not have anything of the sort!" He suddenly had a very shifty look and Peggy knew at once that they'd come to the right place.

"Do not pretend Mr. Grekov. Your response was proof enough of the fact that you are in possession of such a thing. That typewriter has been used for an anti-national terrorist activity. If you're not willing to give us some answers here, I am afraid we'll have to take you up for formal interrogation. We are federal agents Mr. Grekov, trust me, you do not want to waste our time." she said.

"No one is supposed to know about those machines" said Grekov, "We have very few models like that which we have to import all the way from Russia, for a select few. Please do not ask me how they work, I do not know. It is meant to be a secret." he said.

"Can you tell us who these select few are? There cannot be many, I suppose, given the suspicious nature of this whole operation, which I believe is illegal. Don't worry Mr. Grekov, we will not arrest you if you give us the information we require." said Daniel.

"There have been only two men who have come here for those typewriters. I do not know their names. A few days ago, one of them came back and asked for another piece. Since I did not have it at the time, I asked for some time. He is going to come today to collect it. I know nothing more than that, please believe me" said Grekov, the plea evident in his voice.

Peggy decided to trust the man and asked " At what time precisely do you expect he'll show up?"

"I am not certain. He may drop in anytime" said Grekov.

"How does he look? Any distinct features come to mind?" asked Daniel, who, like Peggy, believed that the man standing in front of them was indeed telling the truth.

"He is a very tall and muscular man. He has a broken nose, of that I am certain. That is all I can remember." finished Grekov.

"Alright Mr. Grekov, we'll be leaving now. I trust you're not going to share the details of this conversation with anyone? Because if we get a whiff of double crossing, we will make your life very difficult." Daniel said.

Grekov nodded vigorously and bowed them out of the shop, relieved to see the back of them at last.

As they stepped out, Daniel turned to Peggy and just as he was about to say something, Peggy said "I know what you're thinking. We'll have to keep a watch. We can hide in that alley, I am sure we won't be seen by anyone."

Daniel smiled at her. It was moments like these which made him like her even more than he already did. Of course, she knew that. He had asked her out for a drink which she had politely refused. Daniel was not the one to miss the signal. She wasn't ready. Whether it was for him or any man in general, he did not know. All he knew was that he would not be one of those men who badgered women into going out with them. Of course, he liked her, but the way she acted around him had made him realize that she liked him as nothing more than a friend, at least at the moment. So, he had decided to move on (easier said than done) and had promised himself that he would let Peggy make her choice, whether or not she wanted to be with him. Meanwhile, he himself was willing to look around him for any other woman who might capture his heart and make it easier to forget what he felt for Peggy.

Both Daniel and Peggy had been waiting for hours in that dirty, dingy alley, hoping to catch the man Grekov had described. The long fruitless wait had made Daniel doubt Grekov's words.

"Do you think Grekov was messing with us? What if there is no man like the one he mentioned? Or what if he himself tipped the guy off about us?" said Daniel.

"No, I don't think he was lying. He looked pretty terrified and it is a hundred times more difficult to lie when you're under stress or pressure. I think maybe the guy changed his mind about coming today or maybe he was tipped off, by someone, maybe even by Grekov himself. To be honest, I am inclined to believe he was tipped off. There is no reason why he shouldn't have showed up" said Peggy.

"Yeah I think you're right. Hey look, Grekov's closing the shop for the day. So I guess there is no point in hanging around now" Daniel said.

"You're right. Whoever he is, he's not coming today. Let's come back tomorrow. But before that, let's head back to the office. I feel uneasy, leaving those files around the office. If you don't mind, I'd like to take a few of them with me, to study them tonight." she finished.

"Of course," said Daniel, "I'll find us a cab."

When they reached the SSR office, both Peggy and Daniel were surprised to see Jack just about to leave his office. Office hours ended at 5 and here he was, at 8 p.m., still on the job. Peggy thought, _boy, being the chief of SSR surely means being on the job 24/7. Maybe Jack should start sleeping in the office like Chief Dooley did._

"Hey Chief, we were just here to pick up some case files. Peggy felt it would be better not to leave them here." said Daniel.

"Sure. I was just leaving. If you want I can drop you on your way home." said Jack.

"Oh no, it's okay, we can manage-"began Sousa when Jack said, "Oh it's alright Sousa, my car's quite comfortable. Ask Peggy, she knows." He smirked at her.

Peggy felt slightly embarrassed, Jack was making it sound like something else entirely. Yet, she answered quickly "I quite agree Daniel, Chief Thompson's car is quite comfortable. And since we do not get paid as much as him, we might as well save our cab fare!" she said, with an amused look on her face.

Daniel thought he was missing something, but decided not to react.

After having dropped off Daniel, Jack asked Peggy in a fake British accent "To the Stark mansion, m'lady?"

Peggy laughed, "No Mr. Thompson, would you be kind enough to drop me at the diner on the same street? My stomach, I am afraid to say, demands food at the moment." she said in the most pompous manner.

Jack laughed and asked in the same fake accent, "Would the lady mind if I were to accompany her to the diner since this poor man has not had a single piece of bread since this afternoon?"

Peggy continued in her pompous tone, "Well if you want to. But please remember Mr. Thompson, I expect you to be on your best behavior. I shall be most displeased if you embarrass me in any way." she finished.

"Yes, m'lady" smiled Jack as he drove.

They reached the diner Peggy had mentioned in just a few minutes, both smiling. Peggy was pleasantly surprised to see this playful side of Thompson. She didn't expect him to have a sense of humor at all, to be honest. Jack on his part, was also equally surprised to see Peggy in a playful mood. Sure she had a sharp tongue, everyone knew that, but what he did not know was that she could be just as funny.

Both of them sat in their booth, waiting for their food. While they were waiting, Peggy decided to tell Jack all about the mission and their progress. Jack was impressed to say the least.

"I knew I was right when I trusted you with this case, Carter. Both you and Sousa are doing a great job. Can't say the same for Smith, though. Saw him hanging around the office all day, making phone calls. Chap doesn't seem to be too interested in the mission.' he said.

"I quite agree, but we've decided to give him one more chance to prove his worth. Let's hope he does something with it" said Peggy.

After that they both practically devoured their meal, both hungry and tired from the day's work. Their conversation topics alternated between work and other random topics like Howard Stark's latest discovery, Thompson's new apartment among others. Both of them were astonished to know that they actually had a _lot_ to talk about, contrary to what one might have initially expected. Their silences was suddenly amicable, quite the opposite of the awkward silences they'd shared the night before in Thompson's car. Peggy was secretly glad that she had decided not to go to her usual diner, where Angie was working, since this would have ended with Angie pestering Peggy about Thompson, even more than she did before.

As she went home that night, Peggy Carter had a big smile plastered on her face, being pleased at how her almost fruitless day had turned out to be in the end.

Thompson, who had been immersed in his files all day, itching to step out and actually do something, was equally surprised to see how the day had ended. Who would have thought that he and Carter were capable of having a nice time together, let alone have dinner together without ripping each other into pieces. This was certainly something new. Not that he minded it in the least. He had quite enjoyed it. Who knew Carter was capable of having a decent conversation with him. _Well, _he thought, _you certainly weren't your best around her before._ It was true, he realized it now, he had been a jerk to her, treating her the way she shouldn't have been. _ At least by becoming Chief, I can change it now. I hope the others treat her better than they did before. She deserves respect, that woman._

That night, both Peggy and Jack went to bed with smiles on their faces, each too surprised yet happy with how the day had ended.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- This is a slightly longer chapter. It's all about Peggy and Jack:). I hope you guys like it. Let me know your opinion on it!**

**P.S-Some of you may think that the story is progressing too slowly, since I haven't made them kiss or anything like that, but come on guys, it's 1946. Things were slower back then! Still, a few intense yet fluffy cartson moments in this chapter! Feel free to suggest anything that comes to your mind! **

The next morning, Peggy decided to go meet Angie at the diner since it had been a few days since they last met. As she was looking at what to order, she read the word bread somewhere on the menu. _This poor man has not had a single piece of bread since this afternoon._ This line suddenly popped into her head, reminding her of last night when she had the first glimpse of Jack Thompson's humorous side. Once again, the memory brought a smile to her face.

"Well, you look happy today, English! Any particular reason?" said Angie, appearing from behind the counter to greet Peggy.

"Oh no, it's nothing. I was just reminded of something funny."said Peggy, clearly trying to avoid mentioning the reason for her smile, because she knew that if she would have relayed to Angie what had happened last night, that would only make her think she was right all along. And Peggy could not have that since she and Jack had no feelings for each other. _Well, I wouldn't say no feelings. We're friends...at least I think we are,_she thought.

"Alright, don't tell me if you don't want to, but I am an actor Peggy, I know alllll about emotions. And the expression you have on your face right now, that secretive smile, that's the smile only a man can bring." Angie smirked, before continuing, "Don't worry, I'll wait for the time when you'll tell me yourself."

Glad that Angie was being understanding, Peggy decided to change the topic and soon both women were chitchatting about this and that until Peggy had to leave for office.

When she entered the SSR office about half an hour later, she was surprised to see Thompson sitting with a bunch of files spread on _her_ desk. _Why is he sitting on my chair, reading those files? _She wondered. As she went ahead, she noticed Agent Sousa was nowhere to be seen, nor was Agent Smith, as a matter of fact.

As she opened her mouth to enquire why Thompson was at her desk, peering over files, without even glancing at her, Thompson said, "Sousa called a while ago. He won't be coming in today; his leg's giving him trouble. He said something about keeping a watch, so I decided I'll accompany you today" he finished.

Peggy, who had been expecting a much warmer greeting, felt annoyed. It was as if he was accompanying her to protect her, to make sure that the mission was going alright without Daniel accompanying her.

"Chief, might I remind you that I am perfectly capable-" she began.

"Yes Carter, I know you are perfectly capable of keeping a watch by yourself, but since I am Chief now, I get to decide who goes on which missions and with whom."he said.

"Of course, Chief. You're the boss" said Peggy, now absolutely annoyed with how the day was turning out to be. Of course Jack Thompson was back to his old pompous self. The guy she had dinner with yesterday, he seemed long gone now. He had been replaced by his arrogant, pompous self.

_It's going to be a long day,_ thought Peggy.

Once they had reached their destination, which was the same alley as yesterday, Jack decided to start a conversation with Peggy, since they had spent the entire car ride in huffy silence.

"So, this is where you were all day? No wonder Sousa didn't want to come today. It smells like rotting fish" he said.

"Yes Chief" said Peggy, evidently trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice, "This was the only place we could keep a watch from, without being detected. Our mission seemed more important to us than concentrating on the smell of rotting fish" she retorted.

"Easy there! Why are you in such a bad mood today Carter?" he questioned.

"Nothing at all Chief" she said, with an emphasis on the word Chief.

"Look, if it's about the way I spoke to you this morning-"he started, when Peggy said, "You were just being yourself Chief, why would that bother me?"

"Listen Carter, I am the Chief now. I don't want people to think I've gone all soft. I am their boss and I need to act like it" he said.

"And you think acting like a pompous and arrogant toe rag, you'll be respected?"Peggy burst out, before she could stop herself.

To her utter surprise, Jack actually cracked a smile and said, "Only you, Carter, can have the guts to call your boss an arrogant toe rag right to his face."

He continued, "Look, I now realize I was a jerk. But just try and understand it from my point of view. I cannot show any signs of weakness in front of them. This Chief thing really is quite straining and quite boring if I might add".

Peggy, feeling a little less annoyed, now that he himself had admitted to being a jerk, said "Is that why you wanted to come out on a mission, Chief? To escape your apparently boring office life? "

"You know me well." He smiled, before adding, "Oh, and Carter, its okay if you want to call me Jack. Hearing you and Sousa calling me Chief is frankly odd. Though, for appearance's sake you could call me Agent Thompson in the office if that's okay? " he asked.

"Oh..umm..well I suppose so. It's going to take some time getting used to calling you Jack. And if you expect me to call you Jack, then I expect you'll use my first name as well. I do have a first name, you know." She smiled.

"Oh wait.. it's Marge, isn't it?" smirked Jack, knowing fully well how that name annoyed her.

"Call me that again and I will knock you out, like the last time. Remember that, Thompson? " said Peggy, with a straight face.

Jack chuckled, "Threatening the Chief of SSR in broad day light? " he said.

"Well, we're not at the SSR office right now, are we Jack? " said Peggy, with a very sweet smile etched on her face.

Jack only shook his head in return, once again amazed at her wit, and thinking that hearing her call him by his first name was not so bad after all.

2 hours later, both Peggy and Jack were slumped against the dirty walls of the alley, with no sign of the mysterious man. Both were about to give up hope when they suddenly saw a man emerge out of a car, headed straight for Grekov's shop. They couldn't see his face, but his profile didn't seem to match that of the man Grekov had described. This man was shorter, maybe 5'9 at the most, and was very lean in stature. Peggy thought his profile looked vaguely familiar but couldn't quite make up her mind as to how and why it was familiar.

Jack, who had been staring at the stranger, looked at Peggy and said, "I was thinking that we should wait for him to come out and follow him. He may be an ordinary customer but all the same, let's keep our eyes and ears open."

"Yes, Agent Thomp-I mean Jack, we should do that" replied Peggy.

They waited for a few minutes in silence, when the man came out of the shop, and his face was clearly visible. It was Agent Smith, the young lad who had been rather disinterested in the mission. _Until now,_thought Peggy. He was carrying a rather large package in his hands.

"That's Agent Smith. There is no way that he just stumbled upon this place. Something's going on here." Said Peggy.

"We'll follow him then. See where he goes. Maybe he'll lead us to this mysterious tall client of Grekov's."said Jack.

"Yes let's do that" said Peggy as they both set out to shadow Agent Smith, taking care not to be conspicuous.

They had been tailing him for about 10 minutes when Agent Smith stopped in front of a two storied building, and decided to check whether he had been followed. His eyes scanned the area, left and right. Despite having checked, he stood there for about 5 minutes until he was greeted by a tall, muscular man, who once again scanned the area for any intruders.

Meanwhile, in a small gap, wide enough to barely hold two people, stood Jack and Peggy, trying to conceal themselves from the two men who were barely 30 meters away. They had been in such a hurry to hide that they seemed to have ended up in a rather compromising position, with both of them facing each other, Jack's hand touching the wall opposite to him, precariously close to Peggy's waist, trying to sneak a peek at what was going on, and Peggy, with her hand on Jack's chest, trying to the same.

Both of them were completely unaware of their close proximity until Peggy leaned at bit more than was necessary, trying to get a good look at the two men and almost lost her balance. Jack's hand which had been resting right next to Peggy' waist quickly caught hold of her waist, preventing her from falling. At the same time, Peggy, in an attempt to grab on to something to avoid falling out of the place, had grabbed hold of one of Jack's suspenders.

While Peggy managed not to fall, both of them were suddenly aware of their close proximity, with Jack's hand on Peggy's waist and Peggy holding on to Jack's suspenders, their faces barely an inch from each other. Peggy's breath caught in her throat, with her heart beating wildly as her brain tried to make sense of it all. W_ow his eyes are such a vibrant shade of blue ,_she thought staring intently at him. Jack, who himself had been staring at her eyes, had still not let go of Peggy's waist. He didn't know why but her red lips, slightly parted now, looked so tempting. He could smell the faint scent of lavender, which was quite pleasant.

_Wow, you smell nice, Peggy. Wait ,did I just say that out loud?_

_"_You did." Said Peggy, who sounded surprisingly breathless as she said those words.

Her words however, seemed to have brought both of them to their senses and the brief spell was broken.

"Jack, I am alright now." Said Peggy.

"Yeah, I know" he replied.

"So, you can take your hand off my waist now" said Peggy.

"Oh umm yeah.. sure. Sorry" said Jack apologetically.

Deciding to change the subject Peggy took a quick sneak peak and said "They seem to have gone up that building. Should we go in?"she asked, with a note of apprehension.

"Let's, because God knows whether they'll be here tomorrow. I doubt there will be many of them inside, the building's not that big." Said Jack briskly.

"Alright, let's shoot only if we need to" she said, stepping out of that small space into the open with her gun in her hand, and Jack following.

They entered the building, with their guns ready to be used at a moment's notice. They knocked on the first door, which was on the first floor. As the door opened, they were greeted by Agent Smith, who, with one look at them, decided to attack.

Just as Jack threw open the door, Smith aimed a swift punch at Jack, hoping to knock him down, but missed. Peggy aimed a kick at his knees, making him fall on the ground. Suddenly, there was some movement inside.

'You go in, I'll deal with Smith" said Peggy to Jack.

Jack quickly went in to take a look. Meanwhile, Smith who had gotten back to his feet while Peggy had been talking to Jack, kicked Peggy in the gut and followed it with another punch to her forehead. Though the blow was quite painful, Peggy responded with a punch to his jaw, while he responded by aiming a kick. Just as he raised his leg to kick her, she grabbed hold of his foot and twisted it quite violently. Smith fell to the ground, moaning.

"Tell us who you're working for Smith, and this need not go on any further than it has to" said Peggy, twisting his arm behind his back.

Inside the room, Jack was dealing with the man Grekov had described- tall, muscular, with a broken nose. It turned out that this giant of a man was merely using his strength to fight, while Jack had tactics. Initially, the man had hurt Jack by kicking him in the stomach and then almost smashing his head into the wall, when at the last moment Thompson had managed to wangle out of his grip.

Thompson, though not asphysically powerful as the man, caught hold of the man's arm and twisted it. He then aimed a kick at the man's abdomen, which made the man lose his balance and fall on the ground. Finally, he punched him squarely on the side of his head, which made the giant of a man pass out on the floor. Just as he was dragging the man after having tied his hands with a rope he found in the room, he was greeted by Peggy, who seemed to have suffered a head injury which was bleeding.

"Oh my god are you alright? " she asked, concern evident in her tone.

"Me? Have you taken a look at yourself Peggy? You're bleeding!" said Jack, now swiftly moving forward to take a look at her wound.

"Oh, I am quite fine, it's not too deep. I tied up Smith. He has passed out. I also called the office, they're sending people to take both of them back to the SSR for interrogation. By the way, Thomp-Jack, how did you manage to overpower _him?_" asked Peggy.

"O ye, of little faith" said Jack. "I used my brains. This man had brawns but no brains to spare. So I won" he said, making Peggy smile.

20 minutes later they were at the SSR office, both Smith and the other man having been locked up for the night.

Peggy had been planning to leave, when she was greeted by Jack. She took a look at his jaw and said, "Let me take a look at your jaw, it seems bruised-", when Jack interrupted her.

"You're looking at me? Honestly Peggy, do you realize you still haven't patched up your head wound. No, wait here, I'll get the safety kit and I'll patch it up in a moment." He said and began looking for the box.

Normally Peggy would have declined the offer immediately, but once again, she sensed his concern and decided to let him do it for her. _Less work for me_, she thought.

As Jack cleaned her wound and applied a band aid, Peggy was thinking about the day they had had. Her initial annoyance, shadowing Smith, and the few moments in that tiny space where they had been in close proximity. _He smelled kind of like pine,_ she thought. _No, it was more than that, he smelled kind of.. like a man, that musty attractive scent._ She smiled as she remembered what he had said about her smelling nice, he had beebn so embarrassed.

"What's so funny?" asked Jack, jolting her back to reality.

"Oh, nothing" she blushed, preferring not to mention that she'd been thinking of him. "I was just thinking of what a long day we've had" she said, which was not entirely a lie.

"I agree. We make quite a good time Cart-I mean Peggy." He smiled.

Peggy smiled back, and said, "I would have asked if you were clocking out for the day but given the huge pile of files I can see on your desk, I don't think you can".

"Yeah, quite right, I can't. Need to finish some of it at least" said Jack.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight Jack, and take care" she said .

"Goodnight Peggy" Jack smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- Oh my god guys I was having the most horrible day and then I saw these lovely reviews and it made my day so much better! Thank you! I have my finals in less than a month and that's why I am trying to write as much as I can, before that. This chapter is not really focusing on the mission because I felt like I needed one where we focus more on the characters rather than the mission at hand. So this one's all about feelings, jealousy being one of them :P (thank you anon for that idea. This chapter was the perfect one for me to explore that emotion). Hope you like it! As always, I am open to suggestions. **

Peggy Carter was having a rather restless sleep. She kept on twisting and turning, her mind weaving through a number of real life memories and her deepest fears. First, she dreamed something that routinely haunted her, Steve's last moments, how she had been incapable of saving him. She saw in her mind, horrific scenes of Steve's plane landing in the snow, with Steve being crushed under the debris. Her dream suddenly changed, she now saw a pair of vibrant blue eyes. _Steve's eyes,_ she thought. But no, that couldn't be right. Steve's eyes were a different shade of blue. Whose eyes were they? You smell nice, Peggy, someone was saying. She was just about to figure out who it was, when there was a loud crashing noise, which jolted her out of her dream.

_Who can it be? Is it Dottie? Is it Leviathan? Have they come for me? _All these thoughts rushed through Peggy's mind. _I've dismissed the servants, _she thought. Glad of the fact that she slept with a gun under her pillow, she decided to go check for the source of the noise. _Of course, it could be burglars, but how could they have managed to get through Howard's security system. I better go check, _she decided, and with her revolver in one hand, she tiptoed into the living room and then to the kitchen, since that is where the noise had come from, probably the sound a utensil falling, and went to face whoever it was.

Just as she had reached the kitchen door, she was greeted by the sight of a man with his back to her, busy looking for something in one of the cabinets. Without waiting to see who it was, Peggy said, in a commanding voice, "Whoever you are, turn around with your hands behind your head. If you try any tricks, I will put a bullet through your head", aiming the gun directly at the back of the stranger's head.

The man's posture seemed to have gone rigid for a second, before he casually held up his hands in surrender, and turned around and said, "Well, is that how you Brits greet your friends? So much for manners!"

"Howard!", Peggy exclaimed, immediately lowering her weapon and going ahead to give her good friend a hug.

As they let go of each other, he said, "Wait, what happened to you? How did you get injured?" looking at the band aid on her forehead.

"Oh it's nothing. Work stuff" she said, before continuing, "You could have rung the bell like a normal person, you know that, right? Why would you be tiptoeing like a thief in your own house?" she asked incredulously.

"My ride got delayed Pegs. I was going to come surprise you this evening. Anyways, since I already know the security code to this house, I decided to come in. And I was hungry, so I was looking for something to eat. Of course, this would have been a lot easier had you not dismissed all my servants for the night. I can't find anything decent to eat!" he complained.

"I dismissed them because I did not need them here. Wait, I'll whip up something for you. I can't sleep, as it is. No, don't you dare say no." She said, just as he was about to interrupt her and tell her to go back to sleep.

15 minutes later, Peggy sat on one of the chairs of the massive dining table, with Howard eating, or rather _devouring_ his bacon and eggs. Of course, this was breakfast food but Howard seemed to have no complaints about it whatsoever. As it was, it was already 4 a.m. so it might as well have been a really early breakfast. As Howard ate, he kept a running commentary of what all had happened in the last 3 weeks when he had been in Paris, with his latest romantic conquest, a lady by the name of Maria. Peggy was surprised to see Howard talk so much about one woman, when generally he changed his women as frequently as he changed his ties. _Maybe, he really likes this woman,_ thought Peggy as Howard mentioned that he was going to see her again in two days.

"Enough about me" said Howard, "What about you Pegs? How are you doing? How is work?"he asked.

"Well, it's quite interesting now that I am no longer the girl who gets the other agents their coffees and lunch" she said.

"I knew they'd realize how brilliant you are, especially after the whole Leviathan fiasco. At least one good thing came out of that nightmare" he said.

"Yes, but I must give credit to Agent Thom-Jack, for that. He's the one who's set the example for the others. He gave me my first independent case" she smiled.

"Thompson, that pompous-" Howard was saying just as Peggy interrupted him, "Howard, you have no idea how much he has changed in the last month! Honestly, it's like he's a whole new person. Well, most of the time" she said, with a smile.

"I see…A lot of things seemed to have changed while I was away" he said, "By the way, is he the one who patched up the wound of your forehead?" he asked.

"Oh yes, he did. Why do you ask?" she said.

"Only because you've been touching your forehead absent mindedly while you were telling me what a changed man he was" smirked Howard.

Peggy blushed, and quickly removed her hand from touching her band aid, which like Howard had said, she had been doing without being aware of it.

Clearing her throat and looking for a new topic, she said "I just remembered. I am going to look at a flat tomorrow. Would you care to join me? And no, I am not going to stay here forever Howard" she added as Howard opened his mouth to protest.

"Oh well, I see you're not going to change your mind on that. Fine, I'll come. Let's have a look at that place in the morning and then we can have lunch later" he said.

"No, I have to go to work tomorrow, I can't just leave everything like that, I have an interrogation to oversee" she said.

"Peggy, I am glad you got your first solo case but I think the SSR can manage a day without you" Howard commented dryly, before adding, "Come on, just tell them you're not well and spend a day with your buddy. Is that too much to ask?"

"Oh stop being theatrical, Howard. Fine, I'll take a leave tomorrow. But now let's catch up on at least an hour or two of sleep. God knows you could use it" she said and Howard nodded as he finished his meal.

3 hours later, Jack arrived at the SSR, a little annoyed. The reason for his annoyance was Lisa Goldstein, a young woman, who was one of the many telephone operators who worked at the "phone company" which was the entrance to the SSR office. She had been flirting with him for the last few weeks now, and though initially Jack had been quite pleased with it, her charm was now wearing off. He had taken her out for dinner one night and it had turned out to be one of the most _boring_ nights for his life. The girl had blabbed on about herself, her family, her _dog, _the list was endless. Jack had hardly said anything that evening except for ordering the food and the occasion _hmm, _or _oh! That's nice!_

At the end of the night he had no desire to take her out again and he thought he had made it quite clear. However, Lisa didn't seem to have gotten the signal, and since then had been shamelessly and blatantly flirting with him, hinting that she wanted to go out with him again, despite Jack's repeated attempts to rebuff her.

This morning had been no different. These last few days he had managed to avoid her, but today she caught him alone and blabbed on for 10 minutes, which for Jack, translated into _hours and hours._ More importantly, she had made him late for work, something that reflected badly on his image as the new Chief at the SSR.

As he entered the office, his eyes scanned the cubicles, seeing everyone already at their respective jobs. However, one person was missing from among the agents. Peggy was nowhere to be seen. She was not at her desk, nor at the tea/coffee machine.

"Looking for Peggy?" came a voice behind him, and he turned around to find Daniel sitting at his desk, with papers spread out in front of him.

"Oh no, I wasn't _looking _for her. I was just surprised not to find her in the office. She's never late" said Jack.

"She telephoned a while back, said she won't be coming to office today. I think she had some personal business to attend to. I heard you guys got pretty banged up yesterday on the mission" said Daniel, signaling to Jack's semi healed jaw.

"Not much. Peggy managed the whole thing admirably. Knocked out Smith single handedly" said Jack, and added, "Anyway Sousa I better get to work, got some phone calls to make" and went inside his cabin.

As Jack entered his cabin, his mind was preoccupied. _Why isn't she here? She knew we'd be interrogating them today? Maybe she isn't well. Maybe I didn't patch up her wound properly and now it's hurting her,_he thought.

_I better call and check. I already have Stark's number in one of the files._

5 minutes later, he was dialing Howard Stark's number. A man picked up the phone and Jack asked to talk to Peggy. A few seconds later, Peggy was on the line.

"Hello, Peggy, I heard from Sousa that you weren't coming in today. Are you unwell?" said Jack, in a tone that was filled with concern and yet hidden behind the veil of professionalism.

"Oh yes, I am alright. I just wanted a day off so that I could go check out some apartments in the city. I hope that's okay." Said Peggy.

Jack visibly relaxed, and said, "Bored of living the king sized life, Carter?"

"Ha, you could say that. As it is Howard is back in the city so I thought I'd catch up with him. He said he'll help me look for a place and then we could go for lunch. So I thought to make most of the opportunity." Peggy smiled.

"Oh" said Jack, his tone suddenly changing from jokey to somewhat acidic, "I didn't know Stark was here. I hope you guys have a fun time on your date. Goodbye Carter." he said and put down the receiver immediately.

Peggy, on the other end of the line, was quite surprised at the change in his tone. One moment they were being all jokey and then as soon as she had mentioned Howard, Jack sounded hostile and…if Peggy didn't know any better, she'd have thought that he sounded almost jealous. He thought she was going out on a _date _with Howard.

She had been linked with Howard many times in the past. She had brushed off these allegations, trying not to appear too irritated with anyone who thought that. Truth was, the world simply wasn't ready to accept that there could be a platonic and genuine friendship between a man and a woman, and that's all it was between her and Howard. She had simply ignored it in the past, but somehow the thought that Jack thought she was going on a date with Howard seemed to bother her.

"Ready to leave, Peggy?" said Howard, emerging from his room, dressed in a crisp blue three piece suit, hardly the clothes for a day out with a friend, but that's what he always wore. No matter what the occasion, Howard Stark was always dressed to the nines. Peggy, deciding to think no more about the odd phone call with Jack said with a smile, "Yes, let's go" as they both left the mansion to look for a suitable home for her.

In his office, Jack Thompson was in a very sour mood indeed.

_First Lisa and now this. I thought her work meant more to her than dates with Howard Stark. Of course she's dating him, he's a genius and a millionaire. Which girl would refuse him? But other than the money and the brains, he's a pompous brat, isn't he? They wouldn't last. She's far too good for him. But, maybe after having been with Captain America, he's the perfect man for her, after Cap of course. But why him? It couldn't be about the money, he knew that for sure. Maybe it was the manly look, with expensive custom made suits and that moustache. Hey, I can grow a moustache and my clothes aren't shabby, are they? _

His train of thought was interrupted by Sousa, who knocked on his door and said, "Chief, I am going in to interrogate Smith, you want to join me, since Peggy's not here and you're the one who caught them?"

Jack, who had been far too preoccupied with Peggy and Howard's _date_, was brought back to reality and said, "Sure Sousa, give me a moment, I'll be there"

Just as Sousa was leaving, Jack suddenly asked him, "Why do you think Carter would want to go out with Stark? I mean, he's an ass, isn't he?"

Daniel, caught completely unawares, took a moment to answer and said, "Oh, I didn't know they were going out. Well, they've been good friends since before the war. Plus, he's smart, rich and good looking enough, so I guess that played a part"

"I guess" said Jack with a sour expression, trying but failing to look like he didn't care. "Come on let's not waste any more time" he said and headed out the cabin door before Daniel.

Daniel was not the one to miss these subtle signs. Jack changing his behavior towards Peggy after coming back from Russia. Him assigning her her own mission. Him dropping her off and talking like they both had an inside joke. His admiration towards the way Peggy handled things.

And most clearly, his acidic tone as he mentioned her going out with Stark. For the last few weeks, especially this last week, Peggy and Jack seemed to be getting on splendidly, something that no one could have expected of them. They were not just cordial, they were friendly to each other, they had their own inside jokes, and they looked happy while they were together.

Daniel remembered, how that night in Thompson's car, he had caught Thompson glancing at the rearview mirror a little more than was necessary. It now dawned upon him that traffic was not what had been on Thompson's mind as he looked in that mirror. Daniel smiled sadly to himself. It looked like he was not the only SSR agent who had fallen for Peggy Carter. The only difference was, thought Daniel shaking his head ruefully, that Jack didn't know it himself.

In a different part of the city, Peggy and Howard were having lunch at a nice outdoor cafe, Peggy having shot down Howard's suggestion of having lunch at some posh fancy restaurant. It had been a good day so far, she had finally managed to find a suitable place to live. It was _more_ than suitable. It was a lovely apartment with one bedroom and bathroom. Apart from the fact that it was relatively cheap to rent, it was also close to where Angie worked, so Peggy could pop in to visit her friend often. Howard of course, had been quite convinced that the place was too small for her, but Peggy silenced him. She was going to live in that apartment alone, which was good because…because she couldn't risk history repeating itself and her putting loved ones in harm's way. All in all, she was really happy with the place.

As they sat under the shade of their umbrella table, Howard said, in a tone that suggested that he was being careful with his words, "So… Peggy, how's your life out of the SSR? Anything interesting going on? "

Peggy knew at once what he was referring to. He was aware of the bond she had shared with Steve, he knew how much it had hurt him, made her aloof to the word romance. She knew he was asking this because he was concerned that she might end up spending her life alone, pining for a man who was no more.

"I haven't really had any life beyond the SSR, Howard. You know that. But" she said, "I want you to know, I've let go of him."

Howard appeared genuinely surprised, seeing Peggy open up about him.

"Steve will always be a part of my life, Howard. It is impossible for any man to take his place. But, I want you to know that I have decided to move on, I can't hold on to him forever. Of course, I'll cherish his memories forever, but that doesn't mean I can't move on." She finished.

"I am so glad to hear that Pegs. I am sure that's what Steve would have wanted. When you love someone, you want what's best for them. And knowing him, I have no doubt he would have killed me for letting you be all miserable these last few months." said Howard and they both smiled, remembering their dear friend and companion.

'So Pegs, now that you've decided to move on, is there anyone at the office who's "interesting"? "he asked.

"Oh no, no one." said Peggy a little too quickly, trying but failing to not think of Jack Thompson. "I'll let you know when I find someone" she smiled, and quickly decided to change the subject.

Soon, both of them were chitchatting about this and that, but Peggy's mind was trying to work out why Jack Thompson had popped in her head when Howard had asked about a potential romance. _It's nothing, we're friends, that's all. We've been spending a little too much time together, maybe that's why he popped up in my mind,_ thought Peggy, trying to convince herself, because the alternative was of course _impossible. Me, being interested in Jack! Ha!_ she thought.

The rest of the afternoon was spent amicably, with both Howard and Peggy enjoying their lunch and talking about anything and everything.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N – Not a very long chapter, but we're getting closer to getting Peggy and Jack together! This is a mix of both – the case and their personal lives. Btw, I wanted to know if you guys are okay with the title or should I change it? Please let me know! Another A/N at the end of the chapter... please read. As always, I hope you like this chapter!**

The next day, Peggy arrived at her office in high spirits, having spent the previous day relaxing and having a good time with Howard. As she entered the office building where the elevator was, she came across Jack, who appeared to be talking to a young woman, who had recently started working as the phone operator. Peggy had come across this woman, but hadn't really talked to her. The woman was petite, with curly blonde hair, and a very squeaky voice, that was all that Peggy had observed about the one. Currently, she seemed to be conversing with Jack, one of her fingers twirling a strand of her hair. All the signs pointed to the fact that the woman was clearly trying to flirt with Jack- the posture, her manner of speaking, her physical closeness to Jack. Suddenly, Peggy had the mad and irrational desire to go ahead and ask that woman to keep a little distance between herself and Jack. _Honestly, she is standing wayyy to close to him. _Jack didn't seem to be very interested in the conversation though, he was avoiding eye contact with the woman, looking as if he couldn't wait to get out of there. This cheered Peggy, if only slightly.

Both of them, however, had failed to notice Peggy there, and she made her presence known by a slight cough. They both turned to look at her.

"Good Morning Chief, I see you're very busy in the morning" said Peggy, in a tone that suggested she was insulting him, even if it was indirectly.

"Morning Marge, didn't see you there. I was just talking to Lisa, she's so very interesting." Said Thompson, with a smile plastered across his face.

The woman, Lisa, turned to look at Peggy with a rather big smile on her face and said, "Hello Agent Carter, I've heard a lot about you. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise" said Peggy, trying to keep her tone friendly, but failing to do so, since Jack seemed to be standing _even closer _ to that woman now, with a rather broad smirk.

He said, "Why don't you tell me more about your dog tomorrow night at dinner Lisa? I'd love to take you out to dinner and a movie, if you wish"

"Oh that would be wonderful Jack! I thought you'd never ask again. " said the woman, blushing a little, yet looking ecstatic.

"It's a date" smiled Jack, and said, "I have to go to work I am afraid. I'll see you tomorrow Lisa" and then went ahead inside the elevator.

"You coming Carter?" he asked.

Peggy, who had been silently standing there, trying to keep a smile plastered on her face, when on the inside she was burning with jealousy, said "Umm..Yes of course Chief" and hastened to join him.

While she was quite annoyed at how Jack had openly ignored her in front of that woman, she hadn't missed out on the word _again._ Her mind was full of questions and she was expecting answers, so she said, making an effort to keep her tone light, "So, given how she used the word _again_, I assume you've been out with her before?"

"That's not your concern, is it Peggy?" answered Jack, without looking at her.

"I thought we were trying to be _friends_ here. Why, otherwise, would I be concerned about _you_ going out with some blonde on a date? Who you date doesn't bother me at all." she said coldly.

Thompson, who had not failed to notice her tone replied back harshly, "Yeah well, the fact that you went out with Stark doesn't concern me either, Peggy."

" I wasn't out on a date with Howard!" she retorted.

"Yeah whatever Peggy." said Jack, trying to sound as if he didn't care at all, as he stepped out of the elevator, leaving a rather indignant Peggy behind.

An hour later, Peggy was looking into some papers when she was greeted by Daniel, who had a stack of papers in his hand.

"Hey Peggy, I was just about to go interrogate the big guy again. I tried yesterday, along with Thompson, but he didn't utter one word. So I am going in for round two. So I was thinking you might go for Smith's interrogation, he didn't say anything either yesterday but I think he might crack. What do you say?" he asked.

"Yes of course, I'll go right now to the interrogation room" said Peggy, glad to have an excuse to get away from the paperwork.

As she entered the interrogation room, she saw Smith sitting on the chair with his hands cuffed to the table, and Jack on the other end of the room, right in the middle of saying something.

"Carter, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was under the impression that this was my case Chief, so naturally I did not expect anyone else to do the interrogation on my behalf." She replied, trying to keep her cool.

"Okay so _now _you care about the case Carter? Are you sure you're free or do you have more dates to go to?" he asked acidly.

"I think I have made it pretty clear that I wasn't out on a date yesterday. And even if I was, I don't think my private life has anything to do with this investigation.", she replied coldly, before continuing, "Now do you wish to go through with this interrogation alone Chief or would you be kind enough to allow me the pleasure of your company during this interrogation?"

After a brief pause, where Jack considered in his mind, the pros of having Carter during the interrogation, he said "Alright, you can stay"

20 minutes later both Peggy and Jack were still trying to get Smith to speak. While the young lad hadn't opened his mouth yet, he looked like he was on the verge to do so.

"Tell us who are you working for, Smith, and we might be able to get your prison time reduced. If you decide to co-operate with the SSR on this investigation, you will be rewarded for it" said Jack.

"And let me make it clear that you are being charged with taking part in actions against the United States and will be punished most heavily. You're not a Russian Smith, you need not sacrifice yourself for them." said Peggy.

Smith opened his mouth for the first time, "You do not understand. This is bigger than all of us. You cannot stop this, none of you. Yes it is true that I am an American, but I have seen how blind I have been, to trust the government. You can torture me all you want, but I am not saying a word" he finished.

"Oh we don't want to torture _you_ Smith. I was just going through your file, to check what else have you lied about. Turns out, not much. You have family living in Jersey, don't you? A widow mother and a younger sister, now what was her name" he paused to look into the file lying next to him, "It's Lyndsey, isn't it? Now how old is she? 14? Wouldn't it be unfortunate if she were to _magically_ disappear? I mean, given how her dear brother has been conspiring against America, she must have known too. I think it's time to bring her in." said Jack.

For the first time, Peggy saw a look of terror cross the young man's face.

"You wouldn't!" exclaimed Smith, "It's against the law. You cannot torture my family for this"

"Oh that's funny. I don't remember you being concerned about the _law_ while you were helping the Russians, Smith." Said Jack, "Now I don't want to do this Smith, but you've left me no choice" he said, as he stood up.

"Come on Carter, I think we're done here. Unfortunately, we're going to have to make things a little more _personal_ for Smith here." said Jack.

Peggy wordlessly rose to join him, her mind trying to process whether Jack actually meant to carry out that threat. She hoped not, but who knew? All they needed was Smith to tell them what he knew and then they'd be done with him.

Just as they were about to leave the room, Smith spoke up, fear evident in his voice, " Please, don't do anything to my family. They have no idea about any of this. Please, I beg you! I'll tell you everything I know" he pleaded.

"We're listening" said Peggy, as she and Jack both returned to their seats and began another round of questions.

After about an hour of interrogating Smith, they thought they had all the information they could get from him, even though most of it was fruitless. Smith had told them, how after the death of his father, he had been forced to provide for the family, and how one day, when he had been working a lowly job he was approached by a man, who asked him to deliver a package, and promised to pay him a huge amount for doing that. Smith, in desperate need of money, agreed and did as he was told. In return, the man paid him handsomely. That was not the end of it however. Soon, this man began to call Smith again and again for his services, and eventually let him in on some secrets. The man showed Smith, how important it was to destroy America, which had created so much trouble in the world, especially for the USSR. He explained how it was crucial that the US fall down, so that the USSR could come in and claim it' s rightful place and lead the world into a new era. Most importantly, the man promised dire consequences if Smith refused.

Just as they stepped outside the room, Peggy asked the question that had been on her mind throughout the interrogation, but which could be answered only by Jack.

"Chief, you were not seriously considering bringing in his 14 year old sister in the SSR, were you? I mean, that would be just…. Unacceptable, right?" she asked, afraid of what he might say.

"I only did what I had to do to get him to speak, Carter. And last I remember, I ran this office and I think that _I_ should decide what's acceptable and what's not." retorted Jack, and left without another word.

Sometime later, Peggy was in the break room, pouring herself hot water for her tea, when Jack entered the room. Refusing to acknowledge her, he went straight ahead and made a strong cup of coffee for himself.

Peggy decided to start the conversation, "I cannot believe you would stoop so low, Chief" she said quietly, and added, "it's just wrong, And from what I know about you-" she was saying, when Jack interrupted her.

"Well, maybe you _don't_ know me Carter. I don't think we know each other at all, as a matter of a fact" he said sourly, before adding, "Of course, we can't all be morally incorruptible like Cap, or your new love Stark."

"Oh for _heaven's sake_ Howard is _not _my lover" exploded Peggy.

"Of course, you wouldn't know since you were too busy paying attention to the _interesting _Miss Lisa, this morning" she added scathingly, " I hope you have fun on I hope you have fun on _your date _ tomorrow, and do tell me how _interesting _ her dog was" she said, before leaving the room.

"Oh you bet I will" said Jack and left the room too.

The rest of the day was spent by both Jack and Peggy trying to avoid each other at all costs, and Daniel, always quick on the uptake, knowing that this had something to do with Thompson's jealousy of Stark_._

He hadn't heard all of what had gone down between Peggy and Jack this morning, but since he had been about to enter the break room himself, he had caught the last part of their conversation. He knew it had to do with the fact that Jack believed Peggy was dating Stark, when she had vehemently denied it.

_Well, looks like Peggy isn't happy with him either. _He had heard her mention the name Lisa during that conversation. He didn't know who that was, but it looked like Jack was taking her out on a date. It was evident that Peggy hated the woman, the way she had spat out her name._ Maybe she's jealous of the woman. Maybe that's what this is all about. Peggy has feelings for him too,_ concluded Daniel, sadly. _Why else would they be acting like this? Clearly they both like each other, they just don't want to admit it, not even to themselves,_ he thought.

Well, it certainly seemed like it was the time to let Peggy Carter go for good, because she wasn't his to keep. _I will not be the one to go after a woman who seems to be attracted to another man. I will not be that man,_ thought Daniel.

**A/N PART II- Oh my god I really need to study for my finals, but I don't want to abandon this story in the middle! I am afraid if I leave it now, you guys wouldn't be interested in reading it if I update after my exams! I just don't know what to do! I guess this was the wrong time to start writing a fanfic but I love writing it! This is such a mess! Can anybody suggest a solution? I am desperate!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N – Hey guys it was wonderful to see your supportive reviews! They made me really happy. I honestly cannot thank you guys enough! My exams are still on, and I'll be finished with them on the 22****nd****, but since I had a gap of few days before the next one (and was in no mood to study really) I decided to write something. It's not much but I hope you'll like it. Please leave a review, they help me improve my story and know what you want to see!**

The rest of the day was spent without any further argument occurring between Peggy and Jack, both trying not to give the office staff another reason to gossip. As it was, most of them were still talking about the heated argument between the Chief and Agent Carter, though none of them, other than Daniel had really caught any word of it. However, that hadn't stopped them from coming up with their own versions of it. The whole office was abuzz.

Peggy and Jack, on the other hand had been avoiding each other. While it was impossible to not see each other at all since they were working on the same case, that did not stop them from glaring at each other wordlessly, every time they came across each other. While there had been no new progress with either Smith or the other man, who had still not said a word, both Peggy and Jack had immersed themselves into paperwork, both trying to forget what had transpired between them this morning.

As Jack sat in his cabin, trying to concentrate on the work in front of him, his mind wandered as he saw through the glass doors, the woman who infuriated him and yet someone he could not stop thinking about. _Well, if she wants to go out with Stark, that's fine. I thought she'd have better taste in men. I never thought she'd be one of those girls who were easily swayed by rich and good looking men. I thought she was different. Guess I was wrong, _he thought.

Peggy on the other hand, was filing out some surveillance reports, trying to shake off the image of Jack being out with that floozy. _Honestly, he's going to go out with her? I thought he had more class than going out with every woman who showed the slightest interest in him. Typical. I hope he gets bored to death on that awful date. _

Suddenly, the telephone on Peggy's desk rang. She picked it up, wondering who on earth was calling her at the SSR office, since barely anyone knew she worked there.

"Hello" she spoke into the phone.

"Hey Pegs, how's your day going?" said the voice of Howard Stark on the other end of the line.

"Howard, how did you get this number? It's not even available in any phone book."said Peggy.

"You keep forgetting that your dear friend is a genius" replied Howard, his cockiness evident even through the telephone line.

"Anyway, that's not the point. I was wondering if you were free this evening? I wanted you to meet Maria" he added.

"Oh yes I would love to. It's not as if there's anything interesting going on here today. People are being rather uncouth and nosy here" she replied, glancing at Jack, who had just stepped out of his cabin at that moment and had heard what she had said and glared at her.

"Great. I'll send a car to pick you up. See you in a few hours" he said.

A few hours later, Jack had finally finished his work for the day and was just about to put on his coat, when he glanced at Peggy, who was still at her desk, though she too looked like she was about to leave. Trying to avoid another argument with her, he quickly put on his coat and was just about to press the button for the elevator, when the elevator doors opened suddenly, and he was greeted by the sight of Howard Stark.

"Who the hell allowed you to come up here? " asked Jack angrily.

"I keep telling you guys to design a better security system. I could help you with that" replied Howard, unperturbed by Jack's rudeness.

"Pleasure to see you again, Agent Thompson" he added cheerfully.

"I wish I could say the same Stark." said Jack scathingly.

"Howard, I thought you were sending a car. And you can't just barge in here" came the voice of Peggy who was still at her desk and who had the combined look of someone who was amused, exasperated and indignant at the same time.

"What is it with you SSR folks not greeting your guests properly?" replied Howard, indignantly.

"Well guests usually mean people we _want_ to see and that certainly doesn't involve you Stark" retorted Jack acidly.

"Let's leave Howard. I am sure Chief Thompson has places to be. Let's not waste his precious time… he's got things to do, floozies to flirt with." Said Peggy, as she approached them, her bag and her coat in her hands, and pressed the button on the elevator.

Stark shot a quizzical look at Jack as he stepped into the elevator, said in a low voice, which was nonetheless audible to Jack, "I thought you said you guys were getting along now. I thought you said he'd changed."

The elevator door was just about to close, with Jack having no wish to go down with the pair of them, when he heard her say "I was mistaken" as the doors shut close.

2 hours later, Peggy was having dinner with Howard and Maria in a posh New York restaurant. Peggy had been delighted to meet Maria, the woman who had somehow managed to stir up Howard's interest for more than a few days, unlike his past conquests. The woman was very pretty, with long dark hair and eyes that sparkled. However, Peggy suspected that it was not only the woman's looks that had pulled Howard towards her, it was the woman herself. She was funny and witty and someone who you could hold an interesting conversation. Peggy had been surprised when she learnt that Maria had an interest in science and had been one of the top students in her school. Howard seemed utterly besotted with the woman. Though it was too early to make an assumptions, Peggy silently hoped that these two would last. It was difficult to believe that they'd only been together for a month or so.

Just as they had heard the story of how Howard had chased after Maria after she had refused to go out with him, Maria asked Peggy, "So Peggy, how about you? you seeing anyone special?"

"Oh no, I am single" replied Peggy.

"Beautiful, smart woman like you, I find it hard to imagine you haven't found someone yet" said Maria.

"The trick is finding the right partner" smiled Peggy.

"Oh come on Pegs, I thought you liked that Thompson fella. Whatever happened between the two of you" enquired Howard.

"I never said I _liked _him" said Peggy, blushing, before continuing, "I merely said that we'd been getting along well, and that he had changed. However, I was sadly mistaken, as you may have gathered from what you saw of him today."

"Ha. I actually liked the thought of you two together. He seemed to push your buttons…the right ones, I thought, based on what you told me. "smirked Howard, taking far too much pleasure in making the otherwise composed and calm Peggy uncomfortable.

"Oh please, Jack Thompson and I would never work." sighed Peggy, "we are far too different…polar opposites as a matter of fact. I won't deny that he is one of the best agents of the SSR and his promotion is well deserved, but we would literally kill each other if we stayed in a room together for too long" she finished.

_Well that's not entirely true_, she thought. _We do work well as a team, and we had a good time at the diner that night. And he smells wonderful too, when he had held me in his arms in that alley…and when he was patching up my wound, _she thought, a blush staining her cheeks as though afraid that someone would find out what she was thinking.

Deciding to change the topic, Peggy said, "Excuse me, I must go to the ladies room. I'll meet you at the entrance" since they'd finished their meal.

"I'll come too" said Maria, "You go ahead darling, we'll be there in 5 minutes" she smiled at Howard.

Inside the ladies room, Peggy smiled at Maria and said, "I had a great time tonight Maria. It was wonderful to meet you finally. I can see why Howard's so besotted with you."

"Thank you so much for saying that Peggy, I had a great time too. I'll admit I was a bit nervous before coming here. I know how much Howard loves you and respects you and I was really worried of what you'd think of me" admitted Maria.

"Oh he'll hear only wonderful reviews from my side dear. Honestly" replied Peggy.

Maria smiled and said, "I hope you don't think I am being too forward but … from what I gathered, something's up between you and that Thompson fellow. I am not saying it's romantic" she added hastily, before continuing, "But if it were to be something like that, I would tell you to go for it. Because we always think we know the kind of man we'd want to be with, but life doesn't always pan out the way we imagine it will. I mean, look at us, Howard and I are so different from each other, and I am not exaggerating when I say I've never felt like this for any man, what I feel for him. I know it's only been a month but… oh god please don't tell him that…I am afraid I'll scare him" she pleaded, suddenly anxious.

Peggy smiled widely and said, "I think he feels the same way dear. But your secret's safe with me. Come on, let's go out before Howard decides to send a search party for us"

Half an hour later, they'd reached where Peggy lived, and as she stepped out of the car, she said, "You've got a wonderful woman here Howard, don't be a twat to her."

"Hey! This is the reward I get for taking my two best ladies for dinner?" replied Howard indignantly, while Maria laughed.

"Peggy, keep in mind what I said earlier" said Maria.

"What was it?" asked Howard.

"Oh just girl talk, nothing of your interest, dear" smiled Maria, "Goodnight Peggy" she added.

"Good night" said Peggy.

As she laid on her bed that night, Peggy thought of what Maria had said, about opposites attracting... to go for it…_well, there is nothing to go for, is there? It's not like I am in love with him or something, and he is going on a date with that blonde…and there is a limit to this whole opposites attract thing, I mean there's only so many differences that can be ignored. I am not even attracted to him,_ she thought. _I guess that's not entirely true, I certainly didn't mind when he's held me in his arms, only briefly, but nonetheless. He's good looking, of course he knows that, he's smart, charming when he wants to be, no wonder every woman's attracted to him, _she thought.

_Maybe, its nothing but a temporary infatuation, because we've been working together and talking so much lately, it'll go away, _thought Peggy, trying to get him out of her mind, but failing to do so, as she dreamt of musky scents and blue eyes and a lopsided smile.

**A/N II- I wasn't going to add this chapter originally but the idea came to me ****_literally_**** in the middle of my exam. I thought it'd be rather hasty and frankly wrong to suddenly bring these characters together( who are so different from each other), despite their chemistry. So I thought I'd write this chapter to depict Peggy's point of view. As always, I am open to suggestions!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- Hey guys my exams are FINALLY over (yayyyyy), and so I'll be updating more frequently now. I hope you like this chapter. Please review, your opinions are extremely important to me. Another A/N at the end of the chapter.**

A few days had gone by since what the workers of the SSR had labelled as the "Thompson-Carter Blowup". While it was true that neither of them were at each other's throats anymore, they were not speaking to each other either. Neither of them was interested in giving people another reason to gossip, since the whole office was already abuzz and every one had their own ludicrous version of the fight.

Meanwhile, things were still gloomy on the case front, since none of the two men had said anything of importance. Smith, who had been coerced by Thompson into confessing to his involvement, had no other substantial information to offer. He was merely a pawn in this game and had clearly helped Leviathan only because he was desperate for cash and later because he couldn't back out.

The other man, however, had been faced with Thompson's extreme methods of interrogation that morning, and had had his face beaten to pulp. Ultimately, he had said just one sentence, "They will come for me". It had been impossible to get him to speak beyond that since he lost consciousness soon afterward.

Peggy and Daniel, who had both witnessed the interrogation, had been shaken by it. It was not that they had never seen Thompson's way of interrogating, but there was something different this time. This rage inside Thompson, this anger, was something neither Peggy nor Daniel had witnessed before. If they were honest, it looked like Thompson's anger was misplaced, it was almost as if he was punishing that man for something he hadn't done, almost as if Thompson was venting out his frustration and the man simply happened to be in the way.

Peggy had been unable to witness the interrogation for more than 15 minutes and had walked out of the room. Daniel, who stayed for the whole interrogation, came out looking a bit unnerved. Outside, he was greeted by Peggy in the break room.

"Is it over then?" she enquired, holding a hot cup of tea in her hand.

"Yeah, looks like it." answered Daniel, moving ahead to get himself a strong cup of coffee.

"What happened? Did the man say something or did he pass out finally?" she asked sardonically, "I know Thompson can't have stopped because he felt pity for the man"

"Passed out" replied Daniel, taking a sip of his coffee, before adding, "I have witnessed Thompson's _effective_ methods of interrogation before. I know that man was no saint and Thompson's just looking for information, but today was just…"he faltered, not knowing exactly how to phrase his thoughts.

"I know what you mean" she nodded.

Just then, Jack entered the break room looking all sweaty, with his hair messed up and tie loosened, and said, "I am thinking we might release Smith today, doesn't look like he'll be of any use. I've told someone to get his release papers ready. I want the other one to be locked up again, Sousa, I'll get him to open his mouth tomorrow" while he poured himself a cup of coffee. The moment he moved his hand, Peggy saw the knuckles on his hand, bruised blue and black, some on the verge of bleeding.

"Oh my god, Agent Thompson, your hand…You need first aid" she exclaimed, setting aside her cup and grabbing hold of his hand.

Just as she had touched his knuckles to inspect the damage, Jack jerked away his hand, and said, "I already have a mother Carter, you don't need to baby me. Go massage someone else's hands, perhaps Howard Stark's. Bet he'd love that." and with that he left the room.

Daniel, who had been standing silently, was surprised to see Peggy's eyes fill up with tears. He had never seen this woman cry. Her face couldn't mask the hurt she had felt at Thompson's words.

"Peggy, are you alright?" he asked her, concern evident in his voice.

"I am sorry you had to see that Daniel. And no, I am not fine…. I don't know what I did wrong Daniel, we were getting along fine and then he suddenly…suddenly became like this" she finished, trying to stop the tears that were on the verge of spilling. She hadn't meant to lose control, she was used to Jack's snarky comments from time to time, but she didn't know why this one had hurt the most.

"Peggy, I know this is hard for you and I can see why this must have upset you but I think Thompson's just jealous" replied Daniel gently, handing her his handkerchief to wipe the tears she was desperately trying to hold back.

"Jealous? I don't understand…" said Peggy, looking dumbstruck.

"Peggy, I think the reason Thompson's been acting this way is probably because he has some feelings…some unresolved _romantic_ feelings for you. I mean he's been this way ever since he found out you were dating Stark" he said.

"I am not dating Howard, why is no one believing me when I say that" she blurted out.

"Oh" said Daniel, looking surprised, "Anyway, my point is, he cares for you Peggy. I think he just doesn't know how to show you that and maybe the idea of Stark and you together was difficult for him to accept"

"Look Peggy, I know that you know I like you, but… no wait, hear me out" he said, because Peggy was about to interrupt.

"You're beautiful and intelligent and a wonderful person, Peggy, and it's hard not to fall for someone like you. And yes, until recently, I did harbor some romantic feelings for you, you know that, but when I saw what you and Jack have, I thought I want something like that with someone, the heat, the adoration, the humor, everything." He said.

"Oh Daniel I am so sorry if I did anything to make you feel bad but I was just…not ready" started Peggy before Daniel put up a hand to stop her.

"I am not accusing you Peggy, honestly. Don't take this the wrong way but I am glad I gave up on you Peggy, because…well, I met someone. Someone special" said Daniel, a small smile appearing on his face.

Peggy gave him a small smile and said, "Sometimes it feels wonderful to be in his company, he acts like the perfect gentleman, and then he goes and does something like… well something like this. I just don't know what might set him off. I don't even know how to describe whatever it is that we have… or had" she finished.

"Look Peggy, what I am trying to say is that you may not know what it is that the two of you have, but it's something special. Whatever it is, I think you should sort it out, because frankly speaking, I can't have any more of this perennially angry Thompson and mopey and emotional Peggy" he smiled.

"Daniel, I don't know what to say" she said.

"Say you'll sort it out, even if it means being the first one to concede" he said.

"Alright Daniel, I will, and thank you for …this" she smiled, and quickly gave him a one armed hug that was nothing but a friendly one. "And I hope I get to meet this woman who seems to have captured your heart, Daniel" she said as she hurried out of the room to finally face Jack.

Inside his cabin, Jack Thompson was looking for something to stop the searing pain in his knuckles and the pounding headache. His thoughts were filled with anger and frustration and longing… yes, now that he was honest with himself, he knew he had feelings for Peggy, he definitely felt a longing for that woman who drove him mad on so many occasions but whose smile could make his day. He had been aware that his feelings for Peggy Carter had changed ever since that night at the diner, but how much, he hadn't realized until he was confronted with the possibility of her being with another man. He had tried to nurse his bruised ego by trying to take Lisa on another date, and it had just been as great a debacle as the first one.

Throughout the date, while Lisa talked of nothing but herself, he truly began to appreciate his conversations with Peggy, how she'd laugh at what he said, how she had a witty comeback on the tip of her tongue, how wonderful she looked even after being huddled in an alley all day and having fought a man twice her size.

At the end of the date, he was convinced that things could not possibly work out between him and Lisa and had made that perfectly clear to Lisa, even when she had tried to kiss him. Any red blooded man would have given in to a willing woman like Lisa, but his mind was too muddled with the thoughts of Peggy. So when Lisa had come on to him suddenly, he quickly backed off and let her know, gently he hoped, that he was not interested in her. He thought she took it surprisingly well, before she started crying really loudly and slapped him and walked away, muttering things about men who lead on innocent women and then discard them suddenly. _Well,_ he thought, _at least it's over, whatever the hell that was._

The last few days he had avoided any sort of contact with Peggy, trying not to picture her with Stark. He didn't want to treat her the way he was, but every time he saw her he felt that longing, and anger at her, for not feeling the same, for dating Howard Stark. His anger saw the worst of him when the man they had caught refused to co- operate and the result was the passed out man and Jack nursing his bruised knuckles.

He had been touched by Peggy's concern, and would have let her take care of his hand, but then he didn't know why but he was possessed with the same rage he felt every time he thought of her being with Stark, he saw her as someone who was pitying him, and to avoid all that, he had jerked his hand away, to get away from the woman who didn't want him, to avoid falling for her more than he already had. He had thought they had something, but now he felt like a fool to have expected anything. He was angry, yes, but he was also mad at himself for reacting the way he had. He felt terrible for having treated her the way he had.

_I need to stop being a jackass to her. She didn't do anything wrong ,it's no her fault that I've developed feelings for her, _he thought, as he looked for a roll of bandage to cover his wound.

She entered his cabin, ostensibly under the guise of getting him to sign some official reports, but her real purpose was to clear out the misunderstanding between her and Jack. She really didn't want to fight anymore. She didn't know whether what Daniel said was true, if Jack had any feelings for her, and if she was honest to herself, the mere thought made her heart race.

She had acknowledged that she felt _something_ for the man, especially after she had had her little talk with Maria. He drove her mad, made her want to punch him right in the face, but he also made her laugh, and he was so smart and goddamn charming when he wanted to be. He made her feel a mixture of emotions she hadn't felt in a long, long time, not even for Steve. _Well, if that's not a reason to go and make up, I don't know what is_, she had thought wryly.

Her heart beating fast, she knocked on his door, and asked, "May I come in Chief?"

Jack, who was rummaging through the drawers, suddenly turned around, a long roll of bandage in his hand.

"Carter" he said, his tone surprised, "What do you want?"

"Umm", Peggy stammered, "I just wanted your signatures on these files, but if you're busy, I can come back later..."

"No, it's uh alright I'll sign 'em. Let me just get this thing sorted out" he said, clearly having difficulties tying up the bandage with his left hand.

"If you don't mind, I could help you with that" she said, unsure of what had caused him to suddenly become so mellow.

_Maybe, he doesn't want to fight anymore either_, she hoped.

"Uh yeah sure Carter, if you want to" he replied, taking a seat while Peggy came in and stood right next to his desk, and motioned for him to hold out his hand, which he did.

"Why haven't you put any ointment on it?" she asked sternly, "Simply bandaging the wound won't do, it's bleeding already"

"I uh… forgot" he replied with a sheepish smile on his face.

A small smile broke on Peggy's face, glad to see this man smile, "Wait, I'll get it. Or do you have it in your office" she enquired.

"Top left drawer" he replied, pointing towards a small cabinet in the corner of the room.

She got the ointment, and pulled up a chair next to his and sat down. He hissed the moment she applied it to his knuckles, and she said in a playful tone, "Is the Chief of SSR afraid of a little pain?"

"Ha! I am made of steel, Peggy. Taken much worse than this, I don't have to tell you that" he smiled.

"So am I back to being Peggy?" she asked looking into his eyes, expectantly, and before he could reply she added hesitantly, "Look, I don't know what I did, but if I have hurt you in any way then I want to apologize…I really didn't mean-" when Thompson cut her off.

"No Peggy, it wasn't your fault, I was being an idiot. I am the one who should be apologizing" he said, deciding to just let go of the anger, and try and win her back, if only as a friend.

"How about you accept my apology and then I'll _think_ about accepting yours" Peggy said, with a half-smile.

"No need to get a high head about it" he replied, trying to hide his smile. "You won't be getting any apologies from me in the future so you better appreciate this one"

"How about you just don't do anything worth apologizing for? Oh wait" she laughed, "That's not possible"

"Yeah yeah less talking more working Peggy, my hand's not gonna bandage itself" he said, trying to sound stern.

"Aye Aye Captain" she said and got back to applying the ointment.

Just as she was bandaging his wrist, he hesitantly asked her, "So uh... how was your dinner with Stark?"

"Oh it was wonderful" she said, and his heart sank.

"He took me out to meet his new_ girlfriend_ Maria, she's absolutely wonderful" she added looking directly at him, trying to make it clear once and for all that she wasn't dating him.

_So she isn't dating that buffoon, _he thought happily as his spirits rose.

"Speaking of which, how was your dinner with _Lisa?"_ she asked, now avoiding eye contact, "Did you have a good time with her?"

"Well it turns out her dog isn't that interesting after all" he smiled, "And there is only so much that a man can handle when the dame won't even let him open his mouth. It was an unmitigated disaster. She literally slapped me at the end of the date…Not too hard" he added after seeing the scandalized look on her face.

"So, do you… regret going on that date" Peggy asked, still avoiding eye contact.

"Well surprisingly no. It was an eye opener of sorts…made me realize a few things" he replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Oh…like the fact that girls can slap you if you annoy them too much" she laughed.

"Well that too, but it made me realize the kind of gal I want should be someone with whom I can hold a decent conversation with, someone who is interesting and smart" he said, holding her gaze.

Peggy, who was long done with the bandage, still had Jack's palm in her own, could not look away from him, and said, "Well, let's hope you find her someday Jack"

"I think I may have already found her" he replied, his tone serious, looking directly into her eyes with such intensity that she dared not look away.

"Have you? Is it anyone I know" she asked quietly.

"Yeah I think you know her pretty well. Works at the SSR, is great at her job, intelligent, beautiful inside and out… She's also got this accent, ya know…British dame." he replied, now taking both of her hands in his.

"Jack..." she began, her expression a mixture of nerves and excitement, but he cut her off.

"No, Peggy, let me say this while I still have the courage to say it." he said, his attention caught by her tempting red lips and how appealing they looked right now. Trying not to get sidetracked, he began, "I really-", when there was a knock on the door and both of them sprang apart immediately.

"Uh Chief, " said the new junior agent, looking awkward, "I am sorry I can come back later if you're busy right now" he mumbled.

"Uh.. no.. what is it?" said Jack, trying to keep his cool but on the inside he was so mad at the man standing at the door for having interrupted the moment.

"I was just here to tell you we released Smith just a few minutes ago, like you told us to. And the other guy has been taken back to his cell, like you ordered." he said.

" Yeah that's alright. Who did you send to accompany Smith?" enquired Jack.

"No one" replied the Agent, "We were just outside the building when his sister appeared and said she's been planning to come here to ask when he was going to be released. I wondered how she knew where our office was but I figured Smith must've told her. So, when she heard we were letting him out she said she'd drive him back to the house"

"Wait…Agent, Are you telling me that his 14 year old sister came by the SSR office with a car?" Peggy asked suspiciously.

"14 year old sister?" he said looking incredulous, "No she said she was his older sister, looked like she was in her late 20s."

"WHAT?" echoed both Peggy and Jack at the same time.

"Smith does not HAVE an older sister" she exclaimed, looking at Thompson, whose face mirrored her horrified expression.

**A/N II-How do you like the cliffhanger? Let me know guys, I'd really appreciate your reviews! And I am sorry I haven't really incorporated a few suggestions from you guys and I hope you're not too mad about it (they were really good ones), but I had this whole idea of how this story was going to go and I thought I'd rather not mess it up. And since i absolutely adore Daniel, I couldn't bear the thought of having to suffer through the whole Peggy-Jack drama so I thought I'd find someone for him. I hope you like what I've been writing. Let me know what you think. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N- I knew I said I'll be updating more frequently but I just couldn't get myself to write this chapter. Writing this chapter was difficult and time consuming since I am not a writer at heart and so I found it difficult to write action scenes. I am not an American so my knowledge of American accents as well as the streets of New York is fairly limited and so please forgive me if I've made any technical errors and feel free to let me know so I can change them. And while I appreciate the fact that more and more people are following my story, I would really love it if you guys could leave comments as they're a more concrete kind of a feedback and also because I LOVE READING THEM. I hope you guys like this chapter.**

"Smith does not HAVE an older sister" she exclaimed, looking at Thompson, whose face mirrored her horrified expression.

The colour drained out of their faces, all three of them stood in shocked silence for a moment when Peggy suddenly came to her senses and spoke up, "It's them… it's Leviathan"

"But why now, I mean they know that Smith couldn't have told us anything because he hardly knew anything himself" frowned Jack.

"He's a liability. He knows about them…at least about their existence, and they can't have that." replied Peggy.

"So…. Does this mean they're going to…." asked the junior Agent, when Peggy and Jack answered his question together, "Kill him"

"We have to alert the NYPD and we'll have our own agents scout the city for their vehicle. Damn we might even be too late" muttered Jack.

"You, what's your name?" he barked.

"Robert Anderson" replied the agent, waiting for his reprimand.

"Yeah Anderson, alert the NYPD and send Johansson, Roberts, Scott and Ramirez to scout the city. And tell them every damn detail you can remember about that car and the woman that came with it. Now leave" barked Jack.

Just as the agent was leaving the cabin, Jack called out, "You better hope we find Smith alive, Anderson or you will have your ass fired from the SSR, got it?"

Anderson nodded meekly and quickly left the room to do his assigned task, very eager not to get fired from the SSR.

"We can't just wait for the police or these agents to find him" said Peggy.

"You got a better idea?" Jack asked.

"We should be looking for them ourselves. We don't know what we're facing and we can't trust the police to be able to handle this. Remember, she's most likely a trained Soviet assassin. She'll kill him the moment they're out of the crowded city and some semi trained police officer is not going to stand a chance" she said.

"You're right. Let's head out. But wait" he suddenly halted, his eyes widening.

"The Russian!" Peggy exclaimed, seemingly reading his mind, "Oh god let's bloody hope he hasn't been smuggled out as well"

They both stepped out of the cabin and Peggy went up to Anderson, who was busy making phone calls, and asked him, "Agent Anderson, where has the Russian been taken? Is he still here?"

"Don't tell me you lost him too Anderson, or I might just end up killing you right here" warned Jack as he approached the man.

"Hey Peggy, Thompson what the hell is going on here? I was out for like 10 minutes and now…what is going on?" enquired Daniel, hobbling towards them.

"Smith was kidnapped by a woman claiming to be his older sister" Jack said.

"Older sister? I thought his sister was like 14-" began Sousa, when Peggy stopped him.

"Yes we know. It was a ruse." She then turned towards Anderson and said impatiently, "Well? Are you done listening in to our conversation or shall I get you a cup of tea while you think of an answer, Agent. Is the Russian inside the SSR at this moment?"

"No, I mean he's supposed to be in the building, Chief said he wanted him here so I got him locked up on the second floor, with a parole officer accompanying him" replied Anderson.

"Is he still there? Or haven't you bothered to check that? Jack asked, coldly.

"Uh I was just going to, after I made these calls" stuttered the man, looking more terrified than ever.

"Bloody Nora" cried Peggy, now running out of the office on to the second floor, Jack running behind her.

In a minute when they had both reached the cells where they kept those people who had been brought in for questioning, Peggy and Jack quickly walked towards the very last cell, the only one that had been occupied by the Russian.

When they reached the cell, they found the man, lying on the floor, his mouth covered in a white fuzzy substance, and they both knew it was a lost cause.

"Damn it, he bit the pill. I can bet it was the parole officer. No one else could've had access to him besides the SSR agents." exclaimed Jack.

"We really have IDIOTS working at the SSR" he said, punching the wall angrily.

"Jack, this is not the time to criticize our agents. We need to find Smith or he'll be dead. Let's leave" said Peggy, a resolved look on her face.

"But where will we look for them ? They could be anywhere in this whole goddamn city!" exclaimed Jack.

"Well we have to start somewhere. Come on let's grab a car and leave. We don't have time to waste" said Peggy impatiently, as she hurried down the stairs, Jack following her.

Just as Jack had collected his car keys, Daniel, who seemed to be on the telephone motioned for them to stop for a moment. He put down the receiver and said in an urgent tone, "We just got intel that a blue Ford being driven by a redhead accompanied by a man who fits Smith's description was seen five minutes ago on Lexington Avenue. She ran a red light and was seen heading towards Third avenue"

"3 cars with 2 Agents each have been dispatched about 3 minutes ago and they're heading straight to Third Avenue as we speak. The NYPD has also been informed" said Anderson, who seemed to be trying to make up for his grave mistake.

"If that woman is who we think she is, she is capable of killing every single one of them" replied Peggy.

"Come on, we ought to head out to, do our bit" said Jack as he picked up his coat and left the office with Peggy.

As they were rushing through the streets of New York, Peggy suddenly said, "You do realize she'll be long gone till the time we reach her, right?"

"Yeah but where else are we gonna look for her? We don't know anything else except the car she's driving, if she hasn't ditched the car already"

"What I don't understand is that why not kill Smith as soon as they left the office premises? They could've just shot him and left him to die in the streets and no one could've suspected them" said Peggy, frowning.

"Smith was in custody for days and maybe they think he told us something important. Or maybe they just think he'll know how far along are we with this case and they just want that information before they finish him off" replied Jack.

"Oh my god!" Peggy cried, her eyes widening

"What? What is it" asked Jack urgently.

"Grekov! He might be under risk too if Smith tells them we know where the typewriter came from!" she said.

"Damn! We gotta get to his workshop. Smith will probably be spilling his guts out if he thinks they'll let him live if he tells the truth"

As they were rushing towards the Bronx, which is where Grekov's shop was located, the radio inside Jack's car which was connected to the SSR's, suddenly started emitting static noises. Peggy quickly turned the dial up and down to catch sound. Suddenly, Daniel Sousa's voice was on the other end.

"Peggy? Thompson? Can you hear me?" his voice crackled through the radio.

"Yes yes Daniel, we're right here, what is it?" spoke Peggy, holding the receiver close to her mouth.

"Yeah there's no point in going Lexington Avenue. Our agents found the car and a dead NYPD officer. Shot in the head at point blank range. His car however, is missing. She seems to have ditched her own and is now believed to be driving the police vehicle." he was saying, when Peggy cut him off.

"Listen, Daniel, we're heading towards Grekov's shop. He may be in danger if Smith has revealed that he talked to us."

"Alright. Be safe" he said, "And I 'll be in touch if there's any new information and they heard the radio static once again, signifying the end of the call.

About 15 minutes later they reached the Bronx. On the other side of the street, they saw a police car parked. A look passed between Peggy and Jack, and both of them took out their guns, and crossed the street, their eyes on the lookout for any activity.

They saw a homeless man sitting on the pavement, his clothes ragged and his skin coated in grime. He was staring at them, more importantly at the guns in their hands.

" If he's been here for a while he must have seen something" Peggy said in a low voice, as they both approached the man.

" You seen anything suspicious round here? A woman and a man coming out of that police car, maybe?" asked Jack, pointing to the police car parked on the other side of the road.

"Lots of strange things happening in America these days… I ain't paying attention to all of 'em" the homeless man replied, "I just go about my business, I ain't looking for trouble sir" he added, with a toothless smile.

"Sir" said Peggy, thinking that if they needed some information from this man, Jack's rough tone would not be useful, "We just wanted to know if you've seen someone step out of that police vehicle"

"Like I said, lots of strange things going around the city these days. A lady holding a pistol… what has the world come to?!" the man cackled.

Jack who was losing patience by the minute, now pointed his gun at the man and said, "Listen, do you want to tell us what you know or am I going to have to make you speak. Trust me man you're not going to like it"

"We'll pay you 5 dollars if you tell us what happened" said Peggy in an exasperated tone, not wanting to go ahead with Jack's theatrics. Jack threw her an angry look.

"Alright alright, there was a man and a woman who stepped outta that car, and the lady seemed to be holding something behind the man's back, seemed like a gun, now that I think of it. He was sayin something like, " I know nothing" but that dame wasn't in the mood to listen, I suppose. Dragged him to this shop," the man said, pointing to Grekov's shop, "he was whimpering like a little baby, that man"

"And then?" urged Peggy, "Did you see anything inside the shop?"

"Well, seemed like she was talking to the man at the counter, but after a few minutes I couldn't see no one. "

"What do you mean? No one came out of that shop? How's that possible, that shop looks empty right now " asked Jack, roughly.

"I am telling what I saw mister, and I ain't seen no one come out of that shop once they went in." replied the man.

"Now that I've told you everything I know, I think it's time for my payment" said the man, holding out his hand.

Jack carelessly threw the money at the man as both he and Peggy now neared the shop, taking cautious steps. They both still had their guns in their hands, as Peggy pushed the door open.

Inside they saw no signs of activity, except for the fact that there was no one manning the counter and the door had been left open. To make sure there was no one lurking in the corners, Jack motioned for Peggy to silently sweep the area and she and Jack quietly moved about the room.

Jack came across a door on which the words STORE ROOM were written in bold letters. He turned the door knob as noiselessly as was possible and went inside to have a look.

Once inside, he saw that the room contained nothing but old typewriters, new models, spare parts. The floor was dusty and there were old screws and other stuff lying around and a big wooden crater covered with a cloth was lying in the corner. Once he had made sure that the room was empty, he called out to Peggy, "Room's clear"

A few seconds later Peggy came inside the room. Taking a look around, she said, "But where on earth did they go, then? How could they have magically disappeared in broad daylight?"

"I think that homeless son of a bitch was just messin' with us. Looking for a way to make some money. What a waste of time! " said Jack, angrily, "Peggy? What are you staring at" he asked, looking around, for Peggy seemed to be staring at something in the corner of the room.

"That crate" she said, "Do you see what's lying at the bottom?" she said.

"Oh that's just some old spare part lying around" said Jack dismissively.

"No! Look, it's something else" she said, as she neared the crate and bent down to take a closer look.

She moved the crate to take a look and suddenly exclaimed, "Jack! It's a trap door!"

"What? Let me see" he said.

"It makes perfect sense! They must have taken them down here!" she said.

"Only one way to find out" said Jack, with a resolved look on his face, opening the door to reveal a rickety ladder that seemingly went on into the darkness.

"You up for this Peggy?" he asked her.

She raised one eyebrow, her look clearly saying, _What do you think, you idiot?_

"Alright then, I'll go in first, you go after me" he said, as he started climbing down, careful not to make a noise and in a few moments Peggy started the descent as well.

They had been climbing down for about 5 minutes when Peggy said quietly, "Could anyone have imagined such a place existed right beneath this shop?"

"Yeah I know, Grekov must've known about it and maybe they forced him in here" replied Jack, looking up at her for a moment, instead being greeted by her shapely behind.

_Damn, that woman's got some real curves,_ he thought.

_Stuff it man, you're on a mission and you're staring at Peggy's_ _ass_,_ get it together Thompson, _he chastised himself.

"Jack, are you listening to me?" Peggy was saying, and Jack stammered, clearly trying not to let his mind wander again, "Uh… sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was asking you if you think Grekov might be in on this whole thing. He does own this place after all" she said, from above him.

"Might be. He could've been pretending to be innocent when you and Sousa interrogated him. We'll know in a few minutes. I can see light at the bottom now, looks like we're finally there." he replied.

In a minute Jack had reached the bottom of the staircase. The ground was about two feet below and Jack jumped down. Just as he held out his hand to help Peggy get down properly, she chided him, "For heaven's sake Jack, I can manage myself"

"Can you?" a voice rang behind them. "I won't be so sure if I were you Agent Carter" said a man, emerging from the shadows, holding a gun in his hand, accompanied by two bulky men carrying machine guns.

It was Grekov.

"You!" exclaimed Peggy, "You lied to us!"

"Guilty as charged" laughed Grekov, his voice no longer like that of a terrified man, but cold and laced with malice. "I must say it is a pleasure to see you here Agent Carter. And I see you've brought a friend" he said, in his thick accent, looking at Thompson.

Both Peggy and Jack made identical movements, trying to take out their guns which they had put away while climbing down the ladder.

"Uh huh huh" said Grekov, pointing his own gun at them, "Don't try and get smart with me, or I'll have to kill you much sooner than I prefer. Now put your weapons on the ground like good kids"

They both looked at each other, and seeing as they had no choice, they did as they were told.

"Now let me take you to my secret place, Agents, so you can meet your dear friend. Don't worry, I haven't killed him yet. I waited for you to start the show" he smiled at them.

"You led us to Smith. You knew he was a pawn and knew nothing. You knew we'd come here! That…that man" she spluttered, "You paid him to lead us here." said Peggy, her eyes widening, as both she and Jack were being handcuffed by Grekov's men.

"Correct Agent Carter! I was, how do you say it in English, more than pleased, to see you and Agent Sousa when you walked into my shop." replied Grekov, as he started moving ahead, Jack and Peggy behind him, followed by his men.

"Of course, I would have loved to have killed you there and then, but I did not want to draw attention to myself. I waited for you and your American friends to show up again" he added.

"But why? What have I done?" asked Peggy angrily.

"What have you done?" he asked incredulously, turning back to look at her, "You Agent Carter, with your little friends, stopped Leviathan from completing its last mission in New York. You captured my dear friend Fenhoff and almost killed one of our dear Russian ladies, who is still on the run"

"So am I not justified in wanting to finish off you and your friend" he asked and Peggy gave him a cold look.

They were soon brought to a cavernous room, and both Jack and Peggy were tied down to two chairs, and both their mouths were gagged with thick cloths.

"I will see you shortly Agents, once I have dealt with dear Mr. Smith" Grekov leered at them, accompanied by his men and the firm click meant that they had both been locked in.

Just as the footsteps died away, Peggy motioned to Jack by moving her head, her mouth unable to make any coherent sounds.

She was tilting her head towards her waist, and Jack looked dumbfounded. She kept on pointing towards her waist and suddenly Jack understood what she was trying to say. There was something hidden there, a weapon maybe, to get them out of here.

He nodded his head and tried to move his chair by an angle of 90 degrees, so that he was facing sideways, but his palms were now next to her waist. He quickly tilted his head to the side, silently asking for her permission to touch her and she nodded.

His fingers were now at her waist, trying to locate whatever she had hidden there. His fingers fumbled around the belt loops and his fingers suddenly brushed against something that was hard and metallic. He quickly grasped it with his fingers, a tiny object, probably a pocket knife. Soon it was in his hands and he could almost feel Peggy heave a sigh of relief.

He looked at her and then began to use the tiny knife in zig zag motion, trying to cut through the ropes. About 5 minutes later, his hands were mercifully free. The moment his hands were free, he threw out the piece of cloth and quickly took out the piece of cloth stuffed in Peggy's mouth.

As she heaved a sigh, he quickly bent down to cut the ropes binding her to the chair and said, "You're brilliant. You know that, right?"

"So I've been told" replied Peggy with a hint of a smile and added urgently, "Quick, they could be back any moment"

Soon, they were both free and were now thinking of how to escape with no weapons to protect them.

Suddenly, Jack had an idea.

One of the men, a tall man armed with a rifle, was approaching the room where Peggy and Jack were being held. He saw the door knob moving and knew that they were trying to escape. His rifle held closely to his side, he quickly opened the door with the key and as he entered the room and shouted, "I will put a bullet through your skull if you try to escape".

He saw Peggy holding both her hands up in surrender. Before he had the time to register the fact that Jack was missing, he received a big blow at the back of his head. As he turned, he saw Jack holding a broken piece of a chair, and at that moment Peggy ran up to the man and kicked him hard in the shins. The man lost his balance, stars shining before his eyes, as he was kicked again, this time behind his knees. Someone took his rifle from him, and hit him with it on his head. Suddenly, everything went black.

"Come on let's get a move on" muttered Jack, looking at the unconscious man lying in front of them, "we don't have long. Are you comfortable running around in those?" he asked, pointing to her heels.

Peggy replied, "I can run faster than you while wearing these. Watch me" as she stepped outside the room to check for anyone else that might be in the vicinity.

"Come out. There seems to be no one here" she said, "You keep the gun. I can manage with this" she said, holding out her tiny razor sharp knife, and moved out quietly, Jack following behind, rifle poised to shoot if necessary.

Whatever this place was, it was huge. It was clear that they'd been kept in one small part of the whole area. Peggy wondered when and how this place had been created in New York, without anyone knowing.

As they moved out of one corridor, hiding behind pillars and anything else they could find, they saw at least a dozen men with rifles like the one Jack was carrying, patrolling the area. The most immediate concern was to get Peggy a gun to defend herself, and as they came across a lone man patrolling one of the corridors.

In no time, Peggy and Jack reached the corridor, Peggy from one side, bent down at the corner of the passage, waiting for the man to turn the corner, while Jack was at the other end, waiting to jump into action. As the man turned, before he could make sense of a hunched down woman, he was stabbed in his thigh by a sharp object and a hand quickly grabbed his mouth, stopping him from making a noise. Suddenly, his rifle was taken by the woman, and he was hit with a sharp object and he saw no more.

Now that both of them were armed and more powerful consequently, they moved more easily through the corridors, silently crippling most of the guards they came across, not shooting anyone to avoid the noise.

Very soon, they were near a room inside which voices could be heard, the cackle of a man, the pleading voice of someone, and the soft purr of a woman's voice.

"Please, please don't shoot me. I have a family to look after" came Smith's voice.

"Oh but darling, you have no use now. What will we do with you?" came the soft purr of a woman's voice.

Jack motioned for Peggy to be ready and he held up three fingers to show when to kick down the door. On three, both of them kicked the door hard with their feet, and it fell down, and they were greeted with the sight of a very beautiful red haired woman, with a large knife in her hand, Grekov, who was still holding his gun, and Smith, who looked like he was being tortured, his face a mishmash of blue black bruising and red blood flowing freely from above his eyebrows where he had been cut only moments before.

The woman suddenly leaped, first quickly shooting Smith directly in the head and then tried to grab a hold of Peggy's rifle, while Peggy ran towards her, aiming a swift kick at her knees but missing, as the woman grabbed a hold of her leg and flipped her around.

Jack on the other hand, lunged for Grekov, who began shooting without aim, trying to injure any part of Jack.

A bullet lodged itself in Jack's bicep, spurting out blood. He drew back for a moment, a pained sound leaving his lips, but he lunged for Grekov once again, and grabbed a hold of his free arm, managing to twist it behind his back in moments. He then made use of Grekov's pain to use his other hand to grab a hold of his gun, and quickly took it out of his grasp. One swift punch and Grekov fell to the floor, unconscious. Clearly, Grekov wasn't trained to fight.

Meanwhile, Peggy who had been distracted when the bullet had hit Jack, was punished for her mistake of looking away when a kick at the back of her head made her fall on the ground. She saw stars and in that very moment the red haired woman grabbed Peggy's rifle which had fallen to the ground along with her. The woman leered at Peggy, and said, "Lose your focus, and you might just lose your life"

Just as she was aiming a shot at Peggy, Jack's voice came from the other end of the room, "You shoot her and I will punch so many holes in you that your body would be unrecognizable". He was holding his rifle in his hand, pointing it straight at the woman.

Just then, Peggy, who was lying on the ground, got back to her senses and sent a well-aimed kick to the woman's knees. The woman lost her balance but kept a firm hold on her rifle. Sensing that she was about to lose the fight, she cartwheeled towards the door, now definitely running to save her life.

Peggy and Jack both ran out of the room, but the woman was nowhere to be found.

"Damn she's fast" spat Jack.

"I am not sure. She may be lurking here somewhere." Said Peggy, looking around suspiciously for any signs. "Wait here" she said, and quickly went inside the room, and came back with the gun Grekov had been carrying and said, "It has only two bullets left. Might as well use it"

"We're going to have to get that bullet out" she said urgently, touching his bicep where the bullet had lodged itself. "Sorry!" she exclaimed as Jack hissed when she touched his arm.

Suddenly, there was a crashing noise, and then the sound of gunfire. They both bent down instinctively, but the gunfire seemed to be coming from the next corridor. Someone was shouting "SSR! SSR, put your weapons down"

"Come on. It's our Agents. They've tracked us down. We have to get to them" said Peggy urgently, looking at Jack, who was suddenly looking very pale.

Now the sound was even closer and Jack's mind was suddenly taking him back to Okinawa. Someone was yelling "Get down! Get down" and Jack was faced with those five Japanese soldiers, all aiming their guns at him.

He was trembling, he couldn't move if he wanted to. They were closing in, all of them. They were here to take revenge. Someone was shaking him violently,

"Jack! Jack snap out of it! Jack, can you hear me?" a voice was saying, and suddenly, he saw Peggy, not the Japanese soldiers. Peggy, who was shaking him violently, asking him to get up, "Jack we have to go! We have to run! You don't have to shoot just get up!"

He came to his senses, and got to his feet little shakily, Peggy holding on to his arm to support him.

As Jack got back to his feet, both of them were now running towards the next corridor, where a raging gun battle was going on between the SSR agents and the remaining guards.

"Grekov!" Jack exclaimed, "He's still in there. He's unconscious, but we can't just leave him there"

"We can't go back now, we have to get you out of here, you're bleeding. I'll go and get him" replied Peggy, tersely.

"No, we have to go back NOW!" he said forcefully, "Or he'll find a new hidey hole and this whole thing will be a waste of time. Come on Peggy, we gotta go back!"

"There's only one way." said Peggy, a resolved look on her face, "I'll go and get him. But you have to get out of here now. No!" she added, "You are _not _coming with me."

Jack, seeing that there was no way she was going to listen to him, agreed reluctantly, slumping on the ground, his arm throbbing painfully.

" I won't go in, but I am not going out without you either" he said.

Peggy made a frustrated noise, and quickly disappeared down the hallway.

A few minutes passed, with Jack waiting for Peggy to come back, the continuous sound of bullets roaring continued, but Jack could not get himself to go in the middle of it, especially when it seemed like he was not in a condition to fight.

Soon, he heard footsteps, and was relieved to see Peggy bringing Grekov with her, who was handcuffed with the same handcuffs that had been used on him and Peggy when they'd arrived here.

Jack got to his feet slowly, and there was only a moment for him to smile at her, when he suddenly saw something emerge from the side of the room, and in a moment, he saw Peggy get a swift kick in the back, as her gun fell out of her hand.

Poised with his rifle, he saw who it was. The red haired woman was back, and she now had Peggy in a headlock. Her eyes glinted malevolently, and she said, "Drop your gun right now or I'll have to blow your sweetheart to pieces. Let us walk out of here and you'll have your dear lady back"

"Jack don't listen to her, just shoot" Peggy shouted and the woman tightened her hold, and Jack saw Peggy's face turning blue from the lack of air. She was trapped, and was losing strength, her movements to struggle out becoming more and feebler by the second.

Jack stood there, paralyzed, not knowing what to do. Of course, he had to save Peggy, but how could he let Grekov and the woman walk out of there/ He cast a distressed look at Peggy, who widened her eyes, almost as if she had an idea. She cast a small look at her feet and suddenly Jack understood. In a moment, Peggy had stomped hard on the woman's feet, who emitted a cry, and as the woman let go of Peggy, Peggy rammed her elbow into the woman's abdomen. The woman fell back but had enough wits to hold on to her gun and was just on the verge of pointing it at Peggy. Jack who was still holding his gun understood what she was about to do and without thinking, aimed his gun at the woman and shot her once, twice, thrice, right in her stomach, before she could hurt Peggy.

There was a moment's silence when both Peggy and Jack heaved a sigh of relief, looking at the woman's lifeless body, both glad that it was all almost over.

"Looks like the fighting's over" said Peggy, looking at Jack. Suddenly there were footsteps behind Jack, who quickly turned around, ready to shoot. Instead they were greeted by the faces of 5 fellow SSR agents.

Ramirez, who seemed to be leading the team cast a surprised look at the sight of them both, Jack bleeding profusely from his arm, Peggy's arms and face bruised in places, Grekov, handcuffed, in the corner and a dead woman lying on the floor.

"You're- you're alive Chief, Carter. We thought you'd be dead by now, given the circumstances." he said.

"Yeah well thanks for believing in us, Ramirez." Jack said dryly, " Smith is dead, he was killed by that woman. He's in one of the rooms. Sweep in every inch of this area to make sure no one's hiding in. Now how about you take this man in custody," he said pointing to Grekov, "While I go and make sure that I don't bleed to death"

"Carter, you coming? Or do you want to battle a few more Russian assassins down here" he smiled slyly at her.

"Coming" she cast him a small smile, marveling at the fact that only about half an hour ago the same man had been trembling with fear, and now here he was, back as the Chief of the SSR. In a few minutes they were back upstairs in Grekov's store room, where they were greeted by Daniel.

"Oh thank god you two are alright." he said, as he helped Jack out of the trapdoor.

"Yeah just about so" replied Jack,

"How did you know where to look, Sousa?" he asked, as Peggy emerged out of the trapdoor.

"Well, Peggy had said you were going to Grekov's shop and when you hadn't come back after an hour, we thought something was seriously wrong. So I decided to come down here and when I saw the police car and your car parked here, I thought you were in trouble. So I called back at the office, asked the teams to come down here and have a look. We saw the store room door open, and thankfully you seemed to have moved a few things around in this room. I saw the handle of a door and I knew you were down here. Since I couldn't go all the way down there, I sent in 6 of them" he said, pointing to SSR agents who were now emerging.

"6!" exclaimed Peggy, "but there were only 5 of them, is anyone-" when Daniel said, "No one's dead, Williams took a bullet to his thigh so we got him out of there"

"I think that's enough talking for now, Thompson, you need to get this bullet out" he added.

Soon, a stretcher was called for an unwilling Jack, who insisted he could walk just fine, but one look from Peggy made him lie on it without further complaint.

"I'll come with you to the infirmary" she said, as he was being moved to a van, and she sat next to him, at the back of the van.

When they were on the road, Peggy who had been looking outside, suddenly felt her hand being grabbed and saw Jack interlacing his fingers with hers.

"Some day, huh?" he smiled at her.

"Yes pretty eventful I'd say" she smiled back, her heart beating a little faster as she held on to Jack's hand in her lap.

"Listen, I know I shouldn't have shot her, she could've led us to Leviathan. But when I saw she was going to shoot you-" when Peggy cut him off.

"I know that if you hadn't shot her, I would have been dead, Jack. And she wouldn't have opened her mouth, they're trained to give up their lives rather than reveal their secrets."

"And anyway" she added, "We have Grekov" she said, "I am glad he wasn't smart enough to make a run for it while we were fighting her"

"I really appreciate everything you did for the mission Peggy…and for me" he added after a pause, "You saved us. I know that" he said as he he gently tightened his hold on her hand.

"_We _saved ourselves" she smiled, returning the pressure.

"Stop trying to be noble Peggy, I freezed there, and if you hadn't been there-" he began.

"But you snapped out of it, and that's what matters."

"Yeah well I couldn't risk your life due to my…inability. You're too important to me" he said.

They both looked at each other for a few moments, emotions building up inside both of them. Peggy could hardly believe that she was in his office just that morning, trying to get him to talk to her, and she remembered their conversation, when he had almost admitted that he liked her. _Well, looks like you like him too, if your fast beating heart and blush are any indication,_ she thought.

She finally saw him, a man who was smart, efficient, tough, curt and even arrogant in front of the world, but funny and charming when he was around her. A man who was broken from the war, just as she was, who was fighting his own demons, demons he had fought today, to save her. And suddenly she knew what she had to do.

Peggy bent forward and cupped the side of his face with her free hand, and pressed a kiss to his surprised mouth. He was still for a moment, but then he brought his free hand to tangle in her curls, and kissed her back with abandon, both of them trying to pour their pent up feelings towards each other in that long drawn kiss.

She smiled into the kiss, thinking how much she was enjoying her first kiss with Jack. _Jack Thompson, of all the people in the world_, she thought. Jack was smiling too, hardly able to believe that she actually liked him back, her soft lips moving firmly against his, her hand still cupping his face. They kissed for a few more glorious moments, before Peggy drew away, smiling.

Jack, who had a sly smile on his face, said, "So I assume this means you like me too?"

"Maybe" said Peggy, smiling mischievously, trying not to let him know just how fast her heartbeat was or how much she had enjoyed the kiss.

"And maybe we can change that maybe into a yes, after I take the lady out for dinner" said Jack, still smiling.

"I think we can talk about dinner _after_ they remove the bullet from your arm and you're home from the infirmary" she laughed.

"Speaking of which," she added, "We're here" as the van came to a halt and the doors were opened to reveal two men ready to carry Jack into the infirmary, and she stepped out of it first.

"Hey Peggy" he shouted as he was on his way inside, "I'll see you around" he smiled.

Peggy waved at him and smiled back, shaking her head, her heart giddy with happiness for what felt like the first time in forever.

**A/N II- Annnnnnnnd there we have it. I hope you guys liked how they finally got together. Honestly, I had a million different scenarios but I liked this one the most, it seemed most... i don't know, believable to me, I guess. Grekov's dialogues are written in normal English as I don't know how to incorporate his Russian accent. So I hope you guys imagine his accent as similar to that of Fenhoff. Let me know what you think of this chapter****J**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N- Thank you all for the reviews. I thought I'd be updating more often but I am afraid too many episodes of One Tree Hill are rather distracting me from writing. This one's basically about the aftermath, and I know Peggy may sound rather OOC to a lot of you, but I picture her as a rather normal girl who likes letting her guard down, when she can afford to do so of course (not much since after the war, that we all know from what we've seen on the show). And since she's been all tough and strong for so long, I decided to explore what I think would be her slightly more... girly aspects, I guess, the whole falling for someone and that kind of thing. I hope you guys like it :)**

* * *

That night Peggy went home rather late, having been at the office to try and tie the loose ends of their mission. She had been the one to inform Smith's family of his death. Rather than simply calling them and letting them know, she had made it a point to go visit his mother and tell her in person. She not only informed them of his death, but she felt it was her duty to tell them the whole story, of why her son had done what he had done, however wrong he had been. Needless to say, it had been nothing but painful to witness.

As she finally lay on her bed, she thought of how the day had been. How a normal day had been turned upside down- kidnapping, Russian assassins, finding Grekov, getting out of there alive, Jack…Jack freezing again, Jack overcoming it to stay by her side, the dead bodies of Smith and that woman…and finally, the ride to the infirmary, their conversation, and how her heart had almost melted when he said he said she was too important to him.

She had decided not to let anyone in, for the fear of losing them just like she had before, she knew her life was anything but normal and she knew that simple dinner might create complications in her life at the SSR and her friendship with Jack, but for once, she allowed her heart to take over the reigns from her calm and sensible mind, and just go with the flow.

* * *

The next morning, Peggy got up and as she was getting ready for work, she decided to go meet Angie on her way, since it had been days since she had had time to see one of her closest friends. Just as she had stepped inside the L&amp;L Automat, she saw Angie on the counter, brewing a fresh pot of coffee.

"Well, look who decided to show up here!" said Angie, though she said it in a friendly way rather than being accusatory.

"Hi Angie, I am really sorry, but things have been crazy around the office, I just didn't have to come visit you" apologized Peggy as she dropped her bag on the counter and took a seat.

"It's alright. I can't even pretend to be mad at you when I am so happy. I have some great news!" said Angie, excitement evident in her tone.

"What is it?" asked Peggy.

"I got a call back from one of the producers from my last audition! They called me last evening. Well, they actually called the diner since I don't exactly own a telephone and this was the only number I could give them when they had asked. Can you believe it Peggy? They said they'd like me to come back for the next round of auditions!" she squealed.

"Oh that is absolutely wonderful Angie! I am so happy for you" smiled Peggy.

"I mean I know I haven't got the part yet but it's just me and these two other girls who've been asked to come again. Oh I really hope I get it!" said Angie.

"If those producers have any brains, they will choose you!" said Peggy, "I can see it now… Angela Martinelli, Broadway Star"

"Shut up English" laughed Angie, "there's still a long way to go"

"Hmm" Peggy nodded, "But it will happen"

"Although" said Angie, "Angela Martinelli, Broadway star does have a nice ring to it" and both of them laughed.

"So, enough about me, how's work going?" asked Angie.

"Well it's going rather well at the moment" replied Peggy.

"I know I am not allowed to really ask what it is that you really do, but given what I heard about dear Miss Dottie being some kind of an assassin, I really worry about you, English" said Angie in a concerned voice.

"Relax Angie, it's nothing I can't handle." replied Peggy.

"How are your fat head male co- workers now? They're not still giving you a hard time, are they?" she asked.

"No, I mean, a lot of them still see me as their coffee girl, but mostly it has died down. Well, I guess I have Jack to thank for that" said Peggy.

"We may not have met for a long time, but I don't remember you referring to him as _Jack_ the last time we talked" Angie smiled slyly, "Whatever happened to Chief Thompson?"

"Oh, it's just that we've become close friends lately" she replied, keeping her tone as neutral as she could and avoiding eye contact, trying not to think about what had recently happened between her and her newest _friend _ but failing to get that kiss out of her mind.

"Oh, so you two are just friends now?" enquired Angie, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes…" replied Peggy, unsure of why Angie was quirking up her eyebrow, looking all suspicious.

Angie gave a small laugh, "I don't know how you do your job English. You should look at your face in the mirror! You're avoiding eye contact and your face is getting pinker by the minute" laughed Angie, "Now how about you tell me what is _really_ going on between you and blondie?"

"Oh come on Angie it's nothing" began Peggy but once she saw the look on Angie's face that clearly meant Angie wasn't falling for this, and sighed, "Oh alright alright, he asked me out to dinner…and I said yes" she said, a small smile grazing her lips.

"I knew blondie had a thing for you!" said Angie, triumphantly, "Ha! All those times you tried denying it… and looks like I was right all along"

"Oh yes all hail Angie Martinelli, the new love doctor in town" said Peggy.

"Well, I could be a love doctor if it doesn't interfere with my Broadway schedule too much" said Angie smugly.

"Hey you! Are you getting me my coffee or should I call the manager on you" an angry voice called out from behind them.

"Yes sir, I am just on my way" Angie replied hastily, having forgotten entirely that she had an order to attend to before Peggy had come in.

"Guess that's my cue to leave. Tell me how that dinner date of yours goes" she winked, "Say hi to blondie for me" she said slyly, and went ahead to give the disgruntled customer his coffee, while Peggy decided to pack a bagel to eat on her way to the office.

* * *

She was greeted by her usual load of paperwork, the dullest part of being an SSR agent. However, after the day she had had yesterday, she was rather relieved of having a relatively quiet day. She knew Jack wouldn't be back in the office that morning; He obviously needed time to recover.

During the day, while she was busy working, she seemed to notice something. It was as if everyone in the office was looking at her in a different way. She could sense it, the glances, the whispering and more than once she caught an agent or two staring at her and then quickly looking away when they realized that she'd seen. After about an hour of this, she couldn't take it anymore and she decided to go get a strong cup of tea.

Just as she stepped inside the break room, she was greeted by Daniel.

"Looks like we've both too busy this morning. It's a good thing we decided to take a break at the same time" he joked.

"Daniel, have I got something silly written on my face?" she asked.

"No…" replied Daniel, unsure where this was going, "Why?"

"Well I fail to understand then what is it about me that's making every agent here stare at me from time to time! I mean, they're whispering about me, I can feel it." she said angrily.

"Oh that" laughed Daniel, "I think it has more to do with the fact that you and Thompson went into the lion's den without any back up and battled with a dozen armed guards, a trained Russian assassin and managed to get out of there alive. And out of the two of you, Jack was the one who was badly injured, not you, as most of them would've expected. Everyone's awfully impressed to say the least"

"Oh" was all Peggy could say, hardly able to believe that what she was considering to be nasty comments were actually looks of awe.

"Anyway, how are you feeling now?" he asked, as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Oh I am fine Daniel, no permanent damage, just some stitches" she said dismissively, "It was Jack who is in worse shape, have you heard from him?" she asked as she was making herself a cup of tea.

"He isn't supposed to come back anytime soon, but as far as I know him, I know he'll be here to boss us around within the next week. A man like Thompson can't sit at home doing nothing." replied Daniel.

"By the way, I forgot to ask this, given the day's events, is everything alright between the two of you or were you two still at each other's throats as you were fighting Grekov?" he asked.

"No, we've made up" smiled Peggy, and Daniel knew that her smile meant much more, it meant that they had finally admitted their feelings to each other. He would've asked for details, because he considered Peggy to be a close friend but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Moreover, though he had someone else in his life now, it still would've been rather uncomfortable for him too, to hear the woman he, until recently, had harbored feelings for, declare her feelings for another man.

So he decided to leave it at that, and added casually, "You going to visit him? I am sure he could use some company"

"Oh I don't know, maybe…" replied Peggy, who was sipping her good old favorite beverage.

"So, now that we have some time, how about you tell him how you managed to go through all that and still stay alive?" he asked, interest evident in his voice.

"Well, I think you'll find it interesting enough" laughed Peggy, as she began to regale her experience to Daniel, both of them sipping on their tea and coffee respectively.

* * *

That evening as Peggy packed her things to leave the office, she decided to stop by Jack's cabin and pick up some papers that needed his signatures. It wasn't really urgent business but she figured it was a good excuse as any to visit him. She didn't want to look like those desperate clingy women who couldn't give a man his space.

She was only visiting him a friend, to look how he was, after all, the man had just been shot the day before. Nonetheless, she didn't want to look like she was prying or anything, so with those papers in her hands, she took off to meet Jack.

Half an hour later, she was knocking on his front door. She was greeted by Jack, who was in his undershirt and a pair of trousers, his suspenders hanging loose, with his wounded arm wrapped in a sling and the place where he had been hit was covered in bandages.

"Oh hey there Peggy, I uh…wasn't expecting you" he said, his tone surprised to say the least.

"Oh yes I was just here to get your signatures on these papers, and to see how you were doing. I am sorry I came in unannounced." she said,

"Did your hand suffer any more injuries? Why is it in a sling?" she asked, looking concerned.

"Oh it's just to make sure I don't strain it too much. The doctors said this'll help restrict my hand movements for the time being." he replied, looking at it, and added, "Come on in"

She stepped inside tentatively. This was the first time she was seeing his home, and it was rather like she had expected it to be. It was a relatively spacious flat, and it was rather well kept, she had to admit. She knew Jack, being an ex-soldier wouldn't be the one to keep his house untidy, and it turned out she was right. It wasn't very well furnished, just a couch and two chairs and a coffee table in the living room. The windows were open, the curtains pulled apart, letting in the cool evening breeze. All in all, it looked like the home of a man who spent many nights at the office and didn't come home much.

"Have a seat, I'll sign those papers in a minute" he said.

She sat down, and he sat next to her, poring over the papers, and said, "It's a good thing I didn't injure my right arm, god knows what I'd do without it"

As Jack was looking over the papers, he saw that they were all relatively old, nothing urgent. In fact, a few of them were just routine surveillance reports that could've been signed by him once he was back in the office. _So, she's just here to see me_, _and she's using work as an excuse, _he thought, a small smile appearing on his face, which was mercifully not noticed by Peggy. Jack decided not to mention it.

"So, you can't cook because of your hand or you just don't know how to?" asked Peggy, a few moments later, pointing to a few take out menus that were lying on the coffee table.

"Oh I know enough cooking to not let myself starve, but that's it. Mostly I tend to order in, and since becoming Chief, I've spent more nights at the office than this place" he replied.

"Oh I almost forgot to ask, d'you want anything? Coffee? Afraid I don't have tea in the house" he said.

"Oh no I am fine, I don't need anything. But how about you, how much is your arm hurting you?" she enquired.

"Oh it's seen better days. I guess I am lucky that the bullet didn't penetrate in too deep, so they got it out pretty quickly. Got some pretty strong painkillers right now. But it'll be fine in a day or two, I guess, and I'll be back at the office" he replied.

"You can't be serious! You were shot! You need rest. I know you're the Chief but I am sure SSR can survive a few days without you. And we'll be sure to pass on all the important information" she said.

"Nice try Carter" he smiled wryly, "So what about you? Got any fancy dinner plans for tonight?" he asked.

"No not exactly… It's been a long day so I'll just head home right away" she answered.

"So, since we're both headed for a lonely night, how about we have dinner?" he asked tentatively.

"Honestly, I could really use some company. What do you say Peggy? Ready to help a fellow agent in need?" he asked playfully.

"Is that your idea of a first date Chief Thompson?" Peggy smiled amusedly.

"Oh hell no. I'll take you out when preferably I won't be in my shabbiest look" he said, pointing to his appearance.

"You know what? I could use some company too" she said.

"Alright, then we'll just order something fancy for the lady" he replied.

"You know what? I have a better idea. Give me your car keys" she said.

"What? Why?" he asked, looking confused.

"I'll go and get us something to eat" she replied, "Come on hand them to me"

"Alright. Whatever you say Agent" he said as he handed her the keys that were lying in one of his coat pockets.

"I'll be back shortly" she said as she closed the door behind her.

20 minutes later, Peggy was knocking again on Jack's door, her hands laden with paper bags. As the door opened she was predictably greeted by Jack. What was unpredictable was the fact that he now had a shirt on, his suspenders right where they were supposed to be, and his hair was neatly parted.

"Finally!" said Jack as he opened the door, "I was beginning to think you had taken off with my car to god knows where"

"What's with your sudden desire to dress up for the night?" she asked lightly, eyeing him.

"Well I thought I'd rather not repel you by being in that state even before we'd gone out for our first dinner" he chuckled, before adding, " Although, if you're into the whole shabby unkempt look, I could go back to that"

"No, this works well enough for me" she laughed.

"Okay so now will you care to tell me why you rushed off with my car keys?" he asked, "And what's all this?" he added, pointing to the bags in her hands.

"This, Jack, is our meal for the night- hamburgers, fries and sodas. I got them from this place downtown, they have the best burgers" she said as she deposited the bags on the table.

"What? You went all the way downtown to pick this up?" he said incredulously, "There's a place just a few blocks away"

"Yes I saw that, but this one's got the best burgers in town. Trust me, I got your lunches for a whole year, didn't I? I think I can be trusted to know which place sells the best burgers" she said.

"Yes ma'am" he held up his hands in mock surrender.

As they sat down, both of them eating their burgers, Jack said, "You know, I wouldn't have taken you to be a hamburger and fries kinda gal"

"Well, contrary to what you may believe, I do not out every evening and have wine and caviar and fancy cheeses" she said, picking up some fries.

"I guess this isn't the first time I was wrong about you. I remember getting the shock of my life when I heard Sousa say that you were the woman who was behind that whole thing." he laughed.

"Yes I expect it must've been shocking to realize that the girl who brought you your coffee and lunch orders and did the filing was actually capable of actually doing something" she said dryly.

"Doing something? Damn it Peggy, you were handing their asses to them" he laughed.

"So is that why you stopped behaving with me the way you behaved before" she asked.

"Come on you can say it… I'll admit I was a jackass to you" he said wryly, and added, "Well that too but I guess Russia kind of changed things. When I told you what I'd done" he said, a painful look on his face, "And you didn't shirk away from me-"

"Jack, stop moping now. You made a mistake, and I know it's hard to let go off but you have to stop feeling guilty over something that you can't change now" she said soothingly.

"Yeah… anyway" he said, trying to change the topic, " I was hoping to get some of those fries _if_ you haven't finished them already given how you've been makin' a grab for them every minute or so." he joked as Peggy looked scandalized.

They ate, they talked, they laughed, all in all, none of them realized that they'd spent the last two hours together. After Peggy had glanced at the clock and realized it was almost 10 p.m., she decided to leave.

Jack said, just as she was collecting the papers she had brought with herself, "Come on I'll escort you and get you a cab"

"Oh wow, how very noble of you Jack because obviously I can't manage to get a cab on my own" she said sarcastically, her voice deadpanned.

"Fine. Have it your way then Carter. I was just trying to be a gentleman since you already refused to let me pay for the meal" he said.

She smiled and shook her head but said nothing. Wordlessly she gathered her things and began to leave.

As she opened the door, Jack standing behind her, she turned to face him and said, "I had a good time tonight Jack. I hope you get better quickly"

Jack smiled his lopsided smile and said, "Thanks for keeping me company. I'll hold on to you about that dinner. "

They both stood there, not really knowing how to part since they were somewhere between friendship and a courtship. A simple goodbye didn't seem enough for them, but neither of them wanted to push things too far even before they had had their official first date. So Peggy settled for a swift kiss on his cheek, and said, "Goodnight Jack" and gave him one last smile before she left.

As Jack closed the door, he had his lopsided smile on his face, his hand touching the spot where she had kissed him goodbye.

* * *

**A/N II- Getting close to ending this story, just one or two more chapters, I think, not very sure at the moment. Let me know what you think about it. I really appreciate your support. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N- This is their first date guys, I hope you like it :) Please leave a review and let me know what you think of it**

* * *

The next few days were quite hectic at the SSR. With their chief absent, a majority of the responsibility now fell on Daniel and Peggy. To an outsider it might have looked odd to see a woman and an injured war hero issuing orders to fully qualified agents, and the men actually listening to them, but the agents of the SSR knew better than to question their unofficial bosses. Both of them had proven on more than one occasion that they were capable of not only handling themselves during missions, but also that they also had good instincts and were smart leaders.

Peggy hadn't had an opportunity to visit Jack in the last few days. Truth was, she was rather enjoying her work at the SSR. It wasn't the whole unofficial chief role that she had taken over along with Daniel in Jack's absence, but rather the fact that there was now no one at the SSR who would question her skills as an agent. A big gesture of recognition for her work wasn't what she had ever wished for; all she wanted was to be treated as an equal in a world dominated by men.

Daniel, who himself had been somewhat pitied in the SSR and overlooked for important missions, had grown in Peggy's esteem. She had always seen him as good agent, a good friend, but now that she was working so closely with him, she saw what a good and capable leader he was, how the SSR was important to him, just as it was to her, no matter their past experiences.

In the last week, he had become a close friend, almost as close as Angie, but Peggy still avoided discussing anything to do with her and Jack, even though she knew Daniel was falling head over heels for a woman named Evelyn, whom he had met when she had mistakenly spilled her cup of coffee on Daniel who happened to be standing behind her, waiting to get himself a coffee too. Now, they'd both been on several dates and Daniel seemed to be quite taken with her. Though, like Peggy, he liked to be professional around the work place, he had told her about Evelyn during one of their long nights at the SSR office. Peggy was very happy about Daniel finding someone special in his life, and it also relieved her to see that he was not hung up on her rejection. At least she didn't need to feel guilty about seeing Jack.

_Jack_, the name was enough to bring a small smile to her face, even in the middle of her work day. As much as she was enjoying her work, she rather missed having him around. She had hoped to visit him once again, but she hadn't had the chance. It was almost a week now, and Peggy hoped he'd be back any day now.

* * *

This morning, as she entered the SSR building, she saw the familiar faces of the telephone operators who worked a floor below. She was greeted by Rose, "Hey Peggy, how's it going?"

"I am fine, Rose, thank you, and how are you?" Peggy asked.

"Oh the usual, nothing interesting." replied Rose, "Heard Chief Thompson's back. You must be pretty happy now that you don't have to do all his work?"

"Oh" said Peggy, in a surprised tone, "I wasn't aware that he was back. His injury must be fine now" she said thoughtfully, "Anyway, I better head up. Have a good day" she said, as she stepped inside the elevator.

"You too honey" replied Rose as the doors of the elevator shut.

As she entered the office, she saw him, sitting in his cabin, going through some file, no doubt wanting to catch up with everything he'd missed in the last week. She walked towards her station, draped her coat behind her chair, when Jack emerged from his cabin.

"Sousa, Carter" he said, looking at her and Daniel, "A word."

Both Daniel and Peggy looked at each other and wondered what they had messed up for Jack having called them in first thing in the morning.

When they had both entered the cabin, Jack said, looking at their wary faces,

"Oh there's no need to look like that. I was only calling you in to thank you both for doing all the work in my absence. You've both done fine work Agents."

"Thanks Chief" replied Daniel, "It's good to have you back" he smiled.

"Trust me Sousa I am glad to be back." replied Jack.

"If that's all then we'll get back to work" said Daniel, turning to leave.

"Het Sousa, one more thing. Stop calling me Chief, alright? It's just weird. Call me Thompson, just like you did before" Jack called out as Daniel was leaving.

"Noted" smiled Daniel, "You comin'? he asked Peggy.

"Uh she'll be out in a minute. I gotta talk to her about something" said Jack, and Daniel made no further comment and left.

Once Daniel had left, Peggy spoke for the first time, "How are you? Is your arm perfectly alright?"

"Yeah Peggy or I wouldn't be back" replied Jack, rolling his eyes, "I am real happy with the way you and Sousa kept things going when I wasn't around. Good work"

"Thank you" she smiled, "I'll let you get back to work since you're obviously trying to catch up on everything" she said, pointing to his desk which was littered with files, all containing classified documents.

"Yeah it's going to take some time from the looks of it. I was thinking since you've been handling everything at the SSR this last week, there's no one better than you to bring me up to date with what's going on."

"Yes of course" replied Peggy, "Should I start now?" she asked.

"No no I was thinking we'd be more comfortable to talk about it say, over dinner? I mean, I could ask Sousa but I have a hunch that he'll say no" he said, with a lop sided smile.

"Agent Thompson, is that how you ask a woman out on a date?" Peggy said, with a small laugh, "Because if this is it, I can understand why you've been single all this time I've known you"

"Ah well, I'll work on it. So, what do you think about my offer? I could take you out to a proper restaurant with nice food and some jazz, none of that old hamburgers and fries" he said with a smirk.

"I think I would like that very much, Agent Thompson. I might even let you pay this time." she retorted.

"Alright. We'll go tomorrow evening then. Finish your work on time Carter, or I may have to reconsider my offer" he joked.

"Well, I can't make any promises Agent because my boss's back in office and I hope he doesn't give me too much workload" she retorted playfully.

"I'll make sure of that" he smirked.

"Well then, it's a date. I'll see you later Agent Thompson" she smiled and headed out of his cabin, "Oh yes, and I forgot to say this before, but I am really glad you're back"

"So am I, Peggy, so am I"

* * *

The rest of the day was uneventful, both Peggy and Jack being busy with their work. The next morning too was like any other usual day, the only difference being the fact that Jack and Peggy were like two nervous teenagers worried about how their first date was going to be. They both gave each other a small smile, but neither of them mentioned anything about their impending date, until Jack called her inside his cabin.

"Can I help, Agent Thompson?" she asked.

"Uh yeah how is 8 p.m. for you? At the Rainbow Room?" he asked her.

"It's fine as long as you don't give me a heavy workload for the day" she said with half a smile.

"Can't have that now, can we Carter. I'll see to it. I'll pick you up at 7:30 p.m. sharp" he said.

"Yes that'll be great" she smiled, "Is that all?

"Yeah… I'll see you tonight"

* * *

Mercifully, Jack had stuck with what he had said, and Peggy didn't have any extra work at the office that day, so she was able to clock out at the usual time. She did wonder whether Jack would have time to get ready at all, since by the time she left he was still immersed in one of the files, and she wondered how long he'd be at it.

She wished she could have Angie help her pick an outfit. This was absolutely ridiculous, she told herself. She was a grown woman, and this wasn't the first date of her life, then why was she so nervous about it? _I mean, it's only Jack! I've been out with him so many times, granted those were not dates, but still. Was this really a good idea? What if this messes things up at work? Is it too soon for me to be out with somebody? _ _It's only been a year…No, I have mourned Steve long enough, and it's time for me to get back on with my life. And it's just one harmless date. I know Steve would want me to go ahead. Get yourself together, you're Peggy Carter, _she admonished herself.

At twenty five minutes past 7 that evening, Peggy Carter stood at the bottom of the staircase of her building, a bundle of nerves and excitement, marveling at the fact that the last time she had felt this way was when she was a nervous girl of 16. She hadn't been nervous around Steve, with him everything seemed easy, and she knew that they would be wonderful companions. Now however, she was nervous because she didn't know what to expect.

She knew the Rainbow Room was a rather fancy place and had decided to dress appropriately. She was wearing a knee length flowy dress in blue, and she had opted for a lighter shade of pink lipstick for the evening, rather than her usual shade of red. Her hair was put up in her usual fashion.

As she stood there, a car approached, and she knew instantly that it was Jack's car. Seconds later, he was getting out of it, approaching her with a smile. He had changed his clothes, and he was now looking rather handsome in his dark brown suit, his hair parted neatly.

"Guess all that time in the military rubbed off on ya. You're a woman who knows how to be ready on time" he said, looking at his watch, "Precisely on time" he added.

"And you're a man who knows not to keep a lady waiting" she smiled.

"That I am. Shall we leave?" he asked, "I made a reservation for 8 p.m."

"Yes of course" she replied as she headed to his car

"Oh yeah and Peggy?" he said, as they both got into the car, "You look beautiful"

Peggy quirked up a smile and said, "You too"

"What?" he said, feigning shock "Did you just call me _beautiful ? _Wow way to deflate a man's ego, Peggy"

"I believe I was just returning the compliment Jack. And trust me, your ego could use a little deflating" she smirked as he gave her a look and said, "You know, normally, you're not supposed to insult the guy even _before_ the date has begun."

"Sadly, we live anything but normal lives, Jack, so technically, the rules of _normalcy _don't apply to us"

Taking a moment to look at her, he said, "You're good Carter" and they spent the rest of the journey bickering playfully, both of them having too much fun to stop.

Half an hour later, they had arrived at the Rainbow Room, a posh dining restaurant atop the 65th floor of the Rockefeller Centre. The place was magnificent, with a revolving dance floor right in the middle, and offered a spectacular view of the New York skyline. They were both seated at the table reserved by Jack, which was right next to the glass panes, allowing them what according to Peggy, was one of the best views of the city.

They were both equally nervous about this, but no outsider would have been able to tell that, because soon enough, they were both laughing over this and that, their nervousness dissipating as they talked about their experiences in the army, their life before the war, the conversation flowing with ease.

"Wait, so you punched him because he broke up with your sister?" he laughed.

"Well, what do you expect? Lizzie is my sister! She was a mess and he was snogging another girl behind the school library barely an hour after he broke up. He deserved what he got" she said smugly.

"So, Margaret Carter had a violent streak ever since she was a young girl. It's not difficult to imagine why you applied to the army. It was an outlet for you to punch other guys in their faces, wasn't it?" he joked, as he sipped on his wine.

"Oh aren't you smart! You figured out my plan. That is why I joined the army, not because of some stupid reason like wanting to help my country or anything" she said tonelessly, as she took a sip of her own glass of wine.

"See, now you know why they made me Chief" he said smugly.

Peggy was now feeling incredibly stupid for having spent so much time fussing over this date, if it would be awkward, or whether they would have anything to talk about. She didn't have to hide who she was, or what she did for a living, he could relate to her much better than any other man could.

Jack on his part, was pleasantly surprised too. He knew they'd have plenty to talk about based on his past experience with her, but he could hardly believe he was actually on a date with Peggy Carter. Sure, she was attractive and he would be a fool to deny that he was attracted to her beauty the moment he had seen her in the office on her first day. But back then he had never known her to have this playful side to her, her intelligence, her witty comebacks, all of them made Jack appreciate her more tonight, more so than ever.

After they had both finished their dinner, Jack dropped Peggy right outside her building, at the exact spot from where he's picked her up earlier that evening.

That very evening, they had been acting like nervous teenagers, unsure of what to expect from each other, but now, having had a wonderful time, they were both smiling, as they both stepped out of the car, Jack wanting to drop her off at her doorstep.

"I had a marvelous time tonight Jack. I mean it" smiled Peggy.

"I did too. So does that mean you'll go out with me again?" he asked, a little nervous.

"Yes, I think we can count on that" she gave him a genuine smile.

"So, this is goodbye I guess" he said, looking into her eyes, wanting nothing more but to kiss her alluring pink lips, and decided to just go for it, and leaned in a bit closer to her waiting for her to close the distance.

She leaned in a moment later, and pressed her lips to his, tentatively at first. That was all the motivation that Jack needed as he put both his hands on her waist, drawing her closer to him. She immediately wrapped her hands behind his neck, all the while kissing him back with just as much fervor as he was, neither of them wanting to break for air. After some time, it might have been a few hours, minutes, or even seconds, they broke up the kiss.

"Uh, well, I'd say that lasted longer than the usual goodnight kiss" said Peggy, clearing her throat, her voice a bit shaky and husky.

"We're not usual people, are we Peggy?" Jack smirked, and added, "And I know I am not supposed to say this kinda stuff, being a man, but that was…" he trailed off, not knowing how to explain how incredible it had been for him.

"Yes, I know" said Peggy with a small laugh, "Umm, it's getting rather late, I better head back in. Oh and Jack-"

"Yeah Peggy no one will know about this at the SSR" he finished her request.

She grinned at him, "I'll see you tomorrow Jack" as she headed inside her building.

"See you tomorrow" he said, as he got into his car, smiling broadly.

* * *

**A/N II - That's it, just one more chapter to go, probably an epilogue too. To my dear anon reviewer, thank you for loving this story but I don't want to drag the story to the point where I lose my motivation to write it anymore. Anyway, I'll be writing some one shots after this. Thank you for the support. I hope you guys liked this chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N - This is it guys, the last chapter. I guess it's also the longest one (oops?). I guess I could have split it into two chapters but I thought it better to wrap it all up nicely in one long chater. I will be posting a small epilogue shortly. Tell me what you think of this chapter. Please leave a review :)**

* * *

After their official first date, there was no looking back for Jack and Peggy. Initially, both of them had been rather careful not to get too easily attached to the other person, for both of them had lived lonely lives and were rather new to this life with each other. However, they couldn't keep their guards up for long, and soon enough, seeing each other was one of the best parts of their day, the other best part being working at the SSR.

Both of them had extremely busy lives, Jack being the Chief, and Peggy now heading numerous top level missions, and there were many days when both of them only got to see each other in passing or only for brief moments in the break room as they sipped on to their coffee and tea, but that was enough for them.

One of the perks of being a secret federal agent was that it was quite easy for them to conceal things they didn't want the world to know. Though they were both quite taken with each other, over the last two months, they had both made it a point to keep their relationship under wraps. Jack had agreed to it initially, but as time went on, and their feelings for each other grew, he asked her more than once, if it would be more appropriate to just come out with it. She still refused.

"Tell me Peggy, are you embarrassed to be seen with or somethin'?" he asked, his tone a little bitter, as they were heading towards Peggy's building to drop her off, both of them having been out for a late night drink after a hectic day at the office.

"Oh heavens no Jack, you know me better than that. I am anything but embarrassed" she had replied indignantly.

"Then why do you insist on this? Honestly, it's so damn annoying that I can't even hold your hand when we're together at the office, because some idiot may find out about us. It was alright when we weren't sure about this thing" he said motioning towards her and his own self, "But we've been on a dozen dates already and it's just frustrating Peggy. It's been like two months" he said, frustration clear in his voice.

"Two months and 14 days" she smiled, "Jack, listen to me", she said calmly, interlacing her fingers with his, something she did from time to time when he would get frustrated or agitated, because she knew it had a relaxing effect on him.

Looking into his eyes directly, she said, "I have been so happy with the way things have been going between us, and I know this isn't just some casual fling for either of us, but you have to see how it would affect my career at the SSR."

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking confused.

"Look, it's one thing for the agents to have teased me or made fun of me for being the only female agent at the SSR, and that's stopped because they've finally accepted the fact that I am just as capable as any of them, that me being a woman does not mean that I am any less intelligent, or that I can't be an agent"

"You're better than all of them, hell you're even better than me" Jack admitted, "But what does it have to do with-"

"Look, if everyone at the office finds out that we are together, then there'll be endless gossip about us. And I am not talking about the silly everyday gossip, but continuous taunts and teasing. And" she paused, "They would start assuming that every valuable mission I get, or anything I accomplish, is because of you, because you, Chief Thompson, are dating me, and that is why I get the best cases, and suddenly, nothing I do will be enough to keep the gossip at bay. And it will reduce our relationship to a frivolous topic for break room jokes" she finished.

Jack heaved a sigh, "Alright, alright, I see your point even though I am not very pleased about it"

"Do you need more convincing?" she smiled mischievously, quirking up an eyebrow.

"Well….." he drawled, "I might need a _little_ bit more convincing. What are you going to do about it _Agent_?" he said playfully, coming to a stop just below her building, and turning to look at her.

"In that case, I might just have to work a little harder" she said, leaning into him and capturing his lips for a passionate kiss.

* * *

The next week, both Peggy and Jack were going together to see Angie's first show as a Broadway star. Peggy had been right, the producers _did_ seem to have brains, and had cast Angie as the lead. She had been rehearsing for the last two months and this was one of the most important moments of her life, and she had invited Peggy to share it with her.

Angie had also met Jack before, when Peggy took Jack to the diner after their fifth date to meet Angie. Needless to say, after their last encounter, Jack had been rather hesitant to meet Peggy's over dramatic friend, but he was pleasantly surprised when he met her. She was dramatic, but less so than the last time they'd met and she had quite literally cried _on_ him, but Jack saw how important Angie was to Peggy, her only real friend in New York, apart from Daniel. So when Angie invited Peggy and him to come see her first ever show, he did not hesitate to accept the invitation.

"So, are Daniel and Evelyn going to be there too?" he asked as he straightened his tie by glancing into the rear view mirror, having parked the car just moments ago.

"Yes I believe so. I told him to be here by 7, so he'll probably be here in half an hour" she said, as she turned the mirror towards her, applying a coat of her usual red lipstick.

"Hey!" said Jack, indignantly, "I was using it"

"Don't worry doll" she patted his cheek fondly, after having applied the lipstick, "You look very pretty" and got out of the car.

"Come on we have to wish Angie good luck before the show starts. Get a move on soldier!"

"I am coming _sweetheart" _he said, using his special nickname for her, which he knew she both loved and detested. She just smiled in a what-am-I-going-to-do-with-you kind of way. He loved to see her smile, especially when he was the reason behind it, or more commonly, his stupidity was the reason for it.

As they both entered the room with Angie's name stamped on front of it, they were greeted by an uncharacteristically nervous and fidgety Angie.

"Oh Golly what am I going to do out there Pegs, there's so many people out there" cried Angie.

"Angie, listen to me, you're going to be brilliant out there. It's all going to be perfect" replied Peggy, trying to calm her friend.

"Listen Angie, you made up a story and did a great job as the dramatic and emotional neighbor when we came to look for Peggy, this is nothin', you've got it all under control" said Jack, trying to be helpful.

"Yes but I didn't have to act in front of a hundred people then, blondie!" Angie replied.

"Just tryin' to help" he held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Jack, would you mind giving us a moment?" asked Peggy.

"Yeah sure, I'll go wait for Sousa"

As he left the room, Peggy made Angie sit down in her chair and said, "You are Angela Martinelli, and you are one of the best actors I have ever come across. You've been practicing for months, and the moment you've been dreaming of is here. They're all here to see how you do, and you are going to be spectacular, do you hear me?"

"Yes, it's just that I never expected so many people to show up" replied Angie.

"Darling they're all here for you, they're here to see your talent. Are you going to disappoint them?"

"No… I can't, I won't" said, Angie, taking a deep breath.

"Good, now chop chop, go out there and live your dream Miss Martinelli" smiled Peggy.

"Oh and by the way Pegs, how are things with blondie? Looks pretty serious to me" Angie asked.

"Yes, it's not just a fling anymore. And.." hesitated Peggy, "I know it's probably too soon to feel this way, but I am falling for this man Angie, I am falling _hard"_

" Oh I know" smirked Angie, "I could just sense all the love when you both entered the room."

"I don't want to scare him off by telling him this" said Peggy.

"Aw Pegs, I am sure he feels the same" said Angie, "Don't be scared"

"Look who's giving _me_ advice to not be nervous" laughed Peggy, "Have you looked at yourself lately?"

"God I completely forgot about that while listening to your love story, which would make a _very_ interesting Hollywood movie, if you ask me"

"Oh shush, now get ready, go out there and make us proud" said Peggy, giving her friend one last hug, "You've got this Angie" she smiled as she left the room.

Outside the theatre, Jack was waiting for Daniel to show up. At the SSR, Daniel Sousa was the only person who knew about Jack and Peggy's relationship. Initially, Jack had vehemently opposed to telling Daniel about them, uncomfortable with how Daniel, who had, for some time now, carried a torch for Peggy.

Jack's mind drifted off to a conversation not long ago when he had told Peggy that Daniel had feelings for her. Peggy had laughed and said, "Tell me something I don't already know, darling" and had then proceeded to tell him how she had initially turned down his offer for a drink, how Daniel had found love with a beautiful woman named Evelyn Swire, and how he had been instrumental in making Peggy realize the depth of her feelings for Jack, and had, though unintentionally, been largely responsible for getting them together.

Jack had looked dumbstruck after hearing this, and had replied with "You know Peg, it'd be swell if you could just bother to tell me important things like these. I mean, here I am, feelin all guilty over stealin' Sousa's girl, and he's already over you"

Peggy had huffed at this, "I was never _his _girl. I am not some play thing to be owned by anyone. I have my own identity and I would prefer to stick to it rather than simply being someone's _girl_"

Seeing his mistake, he had quickly said, "Come on, you know I didn't mean it that way. You know, most women would love to be called someone's girl, I mean it's not like you're not _my _gal, I mean-" he had broken off, seeing Peggy's eyes flash.

"Jack, let me make this clear once and for all, just because I am dating you does not make me your property. And while we're on the subject, let me tell you that your "natural order of the universe" is bollocks. Women are just as capable as men and if I ever see you belittle me just because I am a woman, I will _not_ hesitate to knock the daylights out of you"

Realizing that Peggy was now really angry, he quickly went into recovery mode, trying to salvage the situation, " Alright I was wrong, you are not mine to own and I realized that whole natural order of the universe theory was crap after I saw what you did on the Stark mission. Give me some credit Pegs, am I the same man I was before we started goin' out?

"No, and I am glad for that"

"So am I .. So," he said, looking to change the topic, "When do you suppose would be a good time to tell Sousa about us?"

Jack's train of thought was brought to a halt by the arrival of a taxi cab right in front of him. Daniel stepped out with who Jack assumed was Evelyn. She had a very kind face, with dark eyes, and brown hair set up in elaborate curls. Seeing Jack, Daniel gave him a smile as he paid the cab driver.

"Hey Jack, this is Evelyn Swire, Evelyn this is Jack Thompson, chief of the SSR" he said as he introduced them.

Seeing the shocked look on Jack's face, he laughed, "Don't worry Jack, she won't tell anyone about our jobs. I tried hiding it for so long but I had to tell her the truth about what I did when I asked her to marry me"

"Oh, congratulations Sousa, and you too Miss Swire" said Jack, in a rather surprised voice. He knew they had started dating before him and Peggy, but he still thought it rather soon for them to be getting married. He was very much in love with Peggy but he still wasn't sure if they were ready to get married.

Love… Love had brought out a side of Jack Thompson which he hadn't known existed. It probably hadn't till Peggy Carter had come into his life and turned it upside down, in a good way of course. He knew he loved the woman, her little quirks, the way she relished the smell of her British tea every time she made a cup for herself, how she headed the missions entrusted to her, how her brilliant mind could find solutions to difficult problems, how brave she was, even in the face of danger.

He also loved her fire, her beliefs, her self- confidence, never becoming arrogance, her contentment with her work, not having a desperate need to bask in the glory of her success. He loved her when she was strong, he loved her in those few moments when she was vulnerable.

He had accepted the fact that Steve Rogers would always hold a special place in her heart, and he wouldn't be able to replace the man, but he realized, he didn't want to replace him. All he wanted was for Peggy to make a little place for him in her heart, and that would be all. She may not be able to love him like the way she had loved Steve, but he hoped she would love him in whatever way she could. She had told him on one occasion, that though she would always have Steve in her memories, she had mourned him enough and she had moved on with her life. Jack had mentally heaved a sigh of relief, glad that she wasn't going to hold him up to the impossible standard of Captain America. While he was sure he loved her, he wasn't sure how to tell her. He had been wondering how to let her know, worrying if it was too soon, and at the moment, had no solution to his problem.

"Come on let's get a move on or Peggy will have us hanged for missing Angie's first show" he said to both of them, and they stepped inside the theatre.

Soon enough, they were greeted by Peggy, who smiled and waved at them. As they approached her, Peggy looked at something behind Jack and smiled, "Wow, look who decided to keep his promise, for once in his life"

Turning around, they saw Howard Stark approaching them. He was accompanied by Maria, whom Jack had met once before, and he was also accompanied by his usual hoard of paparazzi, who as usual were firing questions at him.

"Mr. Stark, is it true that you've developed newer weapons for the US army?"

"Mr. Stark, are you marrying your lady love Miss Maria Turner?"

"Miss Turner is it true that you're pregnant with Mr. Stark's love child?"

"Mr. Stark, since when did you develop interest in Broadway?"

Waving a hand to silence all the reporters, Howard smiled and said, "I am here to see my very good friend Miss Angela Martinelli, she is the star of this musical. I am here to support her. She is a wonderful actor and I am sure she'll perform admirably tonight"

Peggy gave a snort. Howard hadn't ever seen Angie act, he had never even met her in person. He only knew what Peggy had told him about her. Jack, who was wondering the same thing turned to ask her, "Has he ever _met_ Angie? Who invited him?"

Peggy laughed, "No, he hasn't met her, but I told him she's a good actor, and I asked him to come here tonight. I thought Angie could use some good publicity"

"You're brilliant, you are" he smiled.

"Yes I know and you are _blessed_ to have me in your life" she said smugly.

"Don't overdo it Pegs, let's go grab our seats, it's about time" he said, and they all went to their respective seats.

Howard and Maria soon joined them, Howard sitting next to Peggy. Soon enough the show started, and all of them watched Angie perform. Peggy _was_ right, she was a very good actor, thought Jack. However, some time later, he saw Peggy and Howard leaning into each other and talking in low voices. He didn't know what they were talking about and this wasn't the first time he had seen them discussing something that looked rather important. Peggy hadn't mentioned anything and Jack hadn't asked, even though he was a bit curious as to what it was. Still, he thought it better to wait for Peggy to bring it up, he didn't want to come off as the nosy guy.

A few hours later, both Peggy and Jack were sitting in Peggy's modest one bedroom apartment, having a nightcap. Jack didn't usually drop by Peggy's place, because he knew that this would look bad for Peggy's already not so clean reputation among her neighbors, given her odd working hours. Tonight, however, Peggy herself had invited him over. The play had been a success, Angie had been amazing, and the additional publicity brought in by the presence of Howard, had certainly helped.

After the show, Jack and Peggy had invited Daniel and Evelyn to join them for dinner at Jack's favorite restaurant. Angie, still basking in the glory of her first Broadway show, hadn't been able to join them. Howard and Maria too had to leave early because they had somewhere else to be. Nevertheless, all four of them had had a marvelous time. Jack wasn't as close to Daniel as Peggy was, but then he wasn't the kind of guy to have many close friends in the first place.

The night had been great but something was nagging Jack. During the entire length of the play, Peggy and Howard had been talking in hushed tones at periodic intervals. He wasn't the only one who had noticed, and Jack had seen Maria glaring at Howard once or twice because of their constant murmur. When Howard and Maria were about to leave, Howard had leaned in to Peggy and said, "Just think about what I said, alright? It's a great opportunity Pegs" and then hugged her goodbye. Jack still hadn't asked her anything about it, and Peggy hadn't cared to elaborate either.

During dinner, once or twice he saw Peggy in a ponderous state, as if she were physically present with them but her mind was elsewhere. Every time he asked her if she was okay, she seemed to come out of her reverie and waved it off and joined in the conversation. Now, she had invited him in her apartment, something he knew she avoided on most occasions, not wanting to lose the place because of her 'bad reputation'. Now here they were, having a nightcap, and Peggy looked like she was debating something in her head. Finally, he decided to just ask her directly.

"Come on, out with it"

Peggy looked surprised, "What do you mean?"

"Whatever it is that's been botherin you this whole evening, just tell me already" he said.

"Is it that obvious?" she sighed.

"Let's see… you and Stark spend a majority of the time talking in hushed tones, him saying "Think about it" or something like that, you being all broody during dinner, and now you've invited me for a nightcap at your apartment, which I know you generally try to avoid doing…so yeah, I think it's pretty obvious that there's somethin bothering you"

"Alright, now it's not official or anything yet, but there's a proposal to…. Modify the S.S.R and turn it into a _global _intelligence agency of sorts" she said.

"What? When did this happen? Who is behind this?" he enquired, feeling lost.

"There have been discussions about it ever since the War ended, but nothing concrete was decided upon. Now our last major mission dealing with potential weapons of mass destruction and the threat they posed to America drew a lot of attention. Many people felt that the SSR is not equipped to deal if such threats arose in the future again" she explained calmly.

"But we cleared the whole mess with the Stark mission" he said, looking scandalized, "We saved the whole goddamn city. How the hell can they think we're too incompetent to deal with such stuff in the future?"

"Jack, I wasn't the one taking these decisions. Look, let's not forget how close Fenhoff came to destroying the whole city, we reached there in the nick of time, and plus Dottie escaped. And though initially all the Congressmen seemed pleased with our success, there were some who were worried that this threat might emerge again, given our state of affairs with Russia. So, Colonel Chester Phillips has been in talks with them to transform the SSR into a global level intelligence organization that has a far bigger jurisdiction than the SSR could possibly dream of having, and it would deal with far bigger and global level missions." she said.

Jack's head was reeling with all this new information, "So, what you're sayin is that the SSR will no longer exist once this new organization comes around? Are we all going to lose our jobs?"

"No, the SSR is going to be absorbed into this organization, with a few modifications of course, some change of ranks" she said, looking him directly in the eye.

"So where does Stark come in?"

"He was approached by Colonel Phillips to act as the top scientific advisor for the project, and Howard also made some suggestions regarding those who would help them with this" she replied.

Suddenly, it clicked, "And Stark wants _you _to help him, doesn't he?"

"Yes, I daresay that's what he said to Colonel Phillips, and since the colonel personally knows me, he agreed immediately. In fact," she added, not sure of how he would take it, "Colonel Phillips suggested I take up the position of Head Advisor and when it starts running, manage the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters in New York" she answered.

"Shield?" he asked, confused.

She smiled, "Howard came up with the name, it stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"So…essentially you'll be my boss" he said, finally.

"We haven't worked out the details of my job description yet, but essentially yes" she said, waiting for him to respond.

He said nothing for a few moments, and then asked, "Have you agreed to it?"

"No, I mean it's a fantastic opportunity but it's a big move, and I would be gone for months, and it'll take at least a year or so to establish it. It's quite a big responsibility"

"What are you, crazy?" he asked, "This once in a lifetime opportunity comes knockin literally at your doorstep, and you actually have to think about sayin yes. Goddamnit Peggy, you can't say _no._ That'd be a really stupid move"

Peggy looked taken aback, "So, it doesn't bother you that I'll be heading the organization you're working for?"

"I am not gonna lie and say that it would be perfectly normal to take orders from a dame, but if the SSR, or this S.H.I.E.L.D is going to be led by someone, there is honestly no better candidate to take on the job" he replied.

"I am very excited at the prospect" Peggy smiled, "And I know I am free to make my own decisions, but I thought it would be better to keep you in the loop about it. I didn't expect this reaction from you"

"What? Did you expect me to say some bullshit about how I can't work under my own girlfriend and then make you choose between me and the job?" he laughed.

"I know you're not _that_ dramatic, but I thought you wouldn't be too pleased"

"Ah well, I'll still have my job, and the SSR, sorry I mean S.H.I.E.L.D will have better methods of working and cool toys to use, courtesy Stark Industries, and one of the best agents I know, will be heading this.

She smiled, "You're uncharacteristically sweet sometimes"

He got up from his chair and approached the sofa where she'd been sitting, and kneeled down in front of her and said, "Pegs, I love you and I want what's best for ya. I know this'll keep us away from each other, for months probably, but-" he broke off, seeing the look on Peggy's face, which was of surprise mingled with happiness.

Looking confused, he asked, "What?"

"You just said you loved me, and if your shocked expression is any indication, I think it just slipped out" she smiled.

Jack's eyes widened and he started ranting, "Look, I know it's not been long that we've been goin out, and it's probably too soon to say this, and I wasn't even planning on saying it right now, it just slipped out, and if it is too soon for you I totally understa-"

"Jack, I love you too" she said quietly.

He suddenly stopped his tirade, "What?"

"Yes you fool, I know it's a bit too soon, but I love you too" she smiled.

"You do?" he asked, looking confused, "Here I was worrying about if I should tell you or not, because independent woman like you might feel suffocated in the relationship or somethin, I mean you should have said something Pegs"

"Oh just shut up and kiss me already" she said, shaking her head.

"Your wish is my command ma'am" he smirked, as he claimed her lips in a long kiss. Before both of them knew, they got carried away in the heat of the moment, and suddenly the kiss became more passionate as Peggy wrapped her arms around Jack. Motivated by this, Jack deepened the kiss, gently pushing her back on the sofa, his hands straying lower and lower. She moaned into his mouth, and suddenly before he knew it, she had flipped him over and was half lying on top of him. He broke off the kiss for a moment to take a moment to release a small laugh, and reclaimed her lips, his hands resting on her lower back. She began kissing his jaw, his and then his neck while he breathed in the familiar scent of lavender. He rained kisses on her cheeks, her nose, her neck, his hands working his way to hold her back firmly against him, while she ran her fingers through his hair. Jack moved his hand and suddenly there was a small crash right next to them that jolted the both of them back to the present.

Peggy's glass which had been resting on the coffee table in front of the sofa had just shattered when Jack had inadvertently moved his hand in that direction. The crash seemed to have brought them both back to their senses, and in a moment, Peggy was standing up, looking rather flushed. Jack got up from his position too, and Peggy took a deep breath, cleared her throat and said, "I guess that was the universe's way of telling us to stop"

"Ah, the universe is screwed up" he replied, scrunching up his nose as he said that.

A small smile appeared on her face and she said, "Look Jack, I know we're in love and I know …._that _was…pleasant, for the both of us but I don't want to do something in the heat of the moment and then grow to regret it later"

"Of course"he said.

"I don't know if you'll think of me as a prude or something and frankly it doesn't matter, because …sex is a line I don't feel comfortable crossing, not at the moment at least, no matter how dearly I love you"

"Pegs, I will never ask you to do something which you don't want to, and not just because you have a mean right hook, but because I love you, and… I know we're both in this for the long haul. We're gonna do things the right way" he replied, calmly.

She laughed at that, and seeing Jack's confused expression, "I was right, you _are_ being uncharacteristically sweet today"

"I don't know if that's a compliment, but I am going to take it as one. Anyway, it's rather late, I better head out" he said, checking his watch, and getting up to get his coat.

As he was leaving, he gave her one small peck on the lips for the last time, and said, "I love you, have a good night"

Warmth filled Peggy's heart, and she replied, "Love you too" as he took off and she closed the door behind her.

* * *

The next few months could be described as one of the best months of Jack and Peggy's courtship. They could also be described as some of the worst times because they were away from each other so much, and sometimes when either of them had had a bad day, all they wanted was the other person to be around them, but sadly that was not possible, with Peggy travelling so much because of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Jack missed having her around the office, seeing her face every morning, that small knowing smile that lit her features as they saw each other every morning, knowing that they could not kiss each other good morning, but that they would have to settle for a simple acknowledgement of each other. Her frown as she sat at her desk poring over the latest mission, the way her nose scrunched up at the smell of coffee, her love for her steaming cup of Earl Grey.

Peggy missed Jack terribly when she was travelling back and forth between London and New York, overseeing every operation with Colonel Phillips. The idea that she should long so desperately for a man was so foreign to Peggy, she had never needed a man to complete her life before, but now it was as if without Jack, her life was missing something.

She was quite enjoying her work, but she wished she could have Jack with her in London, where she currently was, for the third time in the last month. Every thought of Jack coaxed her into thinking about the things she loved about him, his bright blue eyes, his lop sided smile, the way he would lean into her for a kiss, the way he would grab her every time they met outside the office and kiss her and say, "God I was waitin' to do that", his obsession with his neatly parted hair, the way it drove him crazy if his hair was out of place, his ridiculous ties…every small detail made her miss him.

It was a few weeks later, when Jack was on a mission, tracking down a weapons' supplier who had been supplying weapons to the enemies of the United States of America, that it happened.

The day had started off normally, well…as normal as days could be at the SSR, and late in the evening, they had received a tip that the man they had been looking for these last two weeks was hiding out in one of the warehouses of his cousin's company, a cousin who was notorious for his connection to the mafia. As soon as they had received the tip, Jack had assembled a team of 8 agents, including himself, who would be going in for the arrest. He knew it wouldn't be easy to reach this man, and it was best to have back up, armed back up.

They had reached the warehouse and on the face of it, it looked completely ordinary, if only conspicuous because of the lack of security at the front gate, which was locked. They broke the lock, trying to be as silent as possible, and went inside. Initially they encountered no one, but one of the agents had reported seeing some movement near the back door via his walkie talkie. Soon enough, there was sound of gunfire and all the rest of the agents had rushed towards the back. They came across a small door that led to somewhere underground and quickly went in, Jack in the lead. In a moment, there was gunfire from everywhere, and the SSR agents began firing mercilessly.

Jack who had been caught unawares quickly went near one of the pillars and fell to the floor. He could smell it, the smell that had been present that night he had shot those soldiers, he could see their faces clearly, even now after two years, they still wouldn't leave him. He had to get back up, his mind told him. He had to join his fellow agents, he had to get over this, but he could still see them, the Japanese soldiers.

Jack took a breath trying to calm himself, trying to get rid of the image of those bloody soldiers lying on the floor of the tent, he tried to think of something, something happy. _Peggy,_ he thought, _I have to get through this, I have to see her, I can't die here, I have to fight back, I have to get to her._ The thoughts of Peggy had the intended effect, his mind jolted him back to the present, and he stood up from behind the pillar where he had taken refuge, and with another breath to calm himself, had shot straight at one of the men attacking his fellow agent.

In the chaos that followed, the police arrived about fifteen minutes later and four of his agents had been injured, however nothing life threatening. They had caught the man, who had been trying to make an escape while his men were out fighting. All around him, Jack saw relieved faces, and was glad this was finally over. As he went home that night, he thought once again of Peggy, how she had helped him even when she was not physically present. As he lay on his bed that night, he made a decision.

* * *

Two days later, Peggy was back in New York, and it would be weeks before she had to go back to London. London was home, but in a strange way so was New York. Most of all she was glad to see the man she loved, she had refused to let him come pick her at the airport because she knew he was busy, and had instead asked him to meet her for dinner at her favorite restaurant in New York, a small little place called Reggie's that served amazing food.

At 7 p.m. that evening, she was greeted by a knock on the door. She was surprised to find Jack there, as she had thought he'd wait outside her building like he usually did. Nevertheless, she was more than happy to finally see him, and they both beamed at each other.

"I thought you'd be waiting outside my building" she said.

"I was going to, but then I wouldn't have been able to do this" he smirked, as he leant in for a long and deep kiss.

"I missed you" he breathed, as he broke off the kiss. Peggy smiled and said, "Good, so you should have". Seeing Jack raise his eyebrows at that she said, "Oh alright, if you must know, I missed you too"

He gave her a small kiss. Peggy chided him jokingly, "Your intentions certainly are not pure, Mr. Thompson"

"Well I guess that's your effect on me, darling" he retorted playfully as they both made their way down the building, to his car.

Throughout dinner they both chatted happily, Jack told her about his work, Peggy told him how things were going in London, about how S.H.I.E.L.D would be up and running by the end of that year. She also told him how the current office of the SSR would remain as it is, and Jack would still be the chief, only that now he would be heading the New York headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D, and her office was going to be in both London and New York. She was going to meet Angie in the next week. Angie was a hit among the critics and was now in talks of her next Broadway production. Needless to say, she was busy as a bee. All throughout the meal, she could see that there was something Jack was not telling her, he had the same nervous look she had on her face all those months ago when she had first told him about S.H.I.E.L.D.

As they finished their meal and paid the bill (Peggy had been the one to pay, despite Jack's numerous protests, shutting him up by saying that she was the one who had asked him out and so she was going to pay for the meal). As they walked hand in hand towards a park where they loved to sit and talk, she could sense his unease. As they sat on the bench, she asked him, "Would you like to tell me now, or would tomorrow be a good time for you to let me know what's bothering you?"

"I guess we know each other pretty well, huh?" he smiled.

"A bit too well, I am afraid" she smiled back.

"Well, we were on this mission two days ago and we had received a tip that Harvey Peckwell was hidin out at his cousin's warehouse and we went in in the dead of the night, but we were ambushed by his men" he said.

"What? You could have told me that before Jack" she sounded shocked.

"Yeah I didn't feel like bringing it up before. But the thing is Pegs, I… I froze…like the last time" he admitted.

"Oh my god, then how on earth did you get back up? Was it really that bad? The episode?"

"It wasn't good I 'll tell ya that. You know what got me back on my feet?"

"What?" she asked, sounding intrigued.

"You" he said simply. When she continued to look confused, he said, "I tried to think of something to calm myself and the first thing I could think of was you, Peggy. I thought about you, how much I had to see you, how I had to snap out of it and fight, fight so I could get back out alive to see you" he smiled.

"Oh Jack, I…don't know what to say, I just…never realized I was so important to you" she said, laying her hand on his.

"Yeah, now you know that Peggy. That incident made me think that the work we do, it's never going to be safe, it's never going to be easy and there are no guarantees in our line of work, I mean, you're off working in England and here I could have died the very next moment. It made things a lot clearer for me Peggy, and it made me realize that you _are_ my life, you are the one constant in my life and the idea of losing you is something I can't even make myself think about." he paused, taking in a deep breath.

"Jack, darling, I love you too, and you cannot imagine how miserable it made me when I couldn't see you every day" she said.

"Yeah…but that is not all Pegs, there's somethin' else I want to say…to ask you. Life is too short Peggy, and however long I live I want to spend it with you" he said, looking directly at her.

"Jack" Peggy said, looking a bit overwhelmed now, "Are you…?" she broke off, as he got down on one knee and took out a box from his pants' pocket.

"Agent Peggy Carter, Head Advisor of S.H.I.E.L.D," he smiled, " Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

* * *

**A/N II- Thank you for your suppor**t. **Let me know what you think of this chapter.. Please leave a review :)**


	14. Epilogue

**A/N- Finally, the story has come to an end. This chapter turned out to be longer than i expected and this is because my dear follower oldmoviewatcher gave me a fantastic idea to involve Angie, and I just had to include her, if only briefly. Thank you so much for your wonderful suggestion. Another A/N at the end, please do read it. Tell me how you found the epilogue, please leave a review :)**

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

* * *

Peggy Carter woke up groggily from what seemed like a good night's sleep, one she hadn't had in what felt like forever. As she woke up, she had a brief feeling of contentment, of happiness and joy that seemed never ending, as if the piece of herself that she never knew had existed had somehow been brought back into her life and sown into her very being. A silly grin spread across her face, as she turned around to see the face of the man lying beside her. His one arm was draped behind her, the other curled up into a fist. Even when he was asleep he looked attentive, his posture rather straighter than one would expect of a sleeping man. She was cocooned against his body, her hand lying across his bare chest. She looked up at his face, a little bit of morning stubble; head tilted slightly, his forehead free of the frown he wore almost constantly when he was at work. Peggy closed her eyes again, remembering the previous day's events, and the weeks leading up to it.  
They were all a blur, but yet oddly memorable.

Peggy remembered that night, when he had asked her the question, how unexpected it had been, how she had felt a whirl of emotions building inside her. Her heart told her to go for it, no question about that.

This was the man she loved, and it was wonderful to have him love her back, to have him ask for her hand in marriage. But suddenly, the analytical side of her brain caught up with her. _Does that mean I'll have to stay in New York permanently? Does he expect me to become a housewife? Does he think I'll leave my job and be a homemaker?_, she wondered.

"Umm, Peggy?" Jack asked hesitantly, jolting her back to the present, where he stood with a gorgeous ring in his hands, still bent on one knee on the hard gravelly pathway of the park.

"Oh Jack I am so sorry I zoned out for a second, please get up" she apologized.

"I was kinda hopin' to get a solid yes or no" he said, "Do you need time to think about it?" he asked, his tone still nervous.

"Look Jack, you know I love you dearly, I don't remember ever loving so much in my life, not even Steve, but-" she began, as he cut her off.

"You're going to say no, aren't you?" he asked, pain evident in his voice, "I should have known this would scare you, I mean, it's been like what? Seven months? But Peggy-"

"Oh would you listen to me?" she exclaimed, swatting him lightly on the arm.

He nodded mutely.

"I would _love_ to marry you, trust me, I really would, but…. I can't give up S.H.I.E.L.D and I cannot become a housewife who's left to look after the kids" she blurted out the last part.

"That's what you think I expect of you?" he said, surprised.

"Peggy, I have known you for some time now, and I think I can be expected to know that you love your work more than anything, and I would be a fool to ask you to give it up" he chuckled.

"I know you've been very supportive of my career till now Jack, but, a marriage… it changes things, it alters your very life" she sighed.

He took her hand into his own, and said calmly, "Look, you and I, we are the last thing people would call a conventional couple, and yes I admit there was a time when I thought my wife should take care of the family, but that was before I fell in love with a secret agent who could take on the world if she wanted to. I don't want you giving up your dream Peggy, it is one of the things I love the most about you, your dedication and love for the work you do"

"So… you don't want me quitting my job at S.H.I.E.L.D? You don't want me to be the typical housewife, cooking dinner and watering the plants and looking after the children?" she asked, looking at him.

"No, if there is something that I have learned from you Peggy Carter, then it is the fact that a man and a woman should be equals in a relationship, and that's what we are. We will split the work. That is if you say yes to me" he hastily added the last part.

"Angie's going to go absolutely bonkers when we tell her the news" she smiled after a moment's pause.

"Does that mean- Is that…a yes" he asked, still unable to believe it.

"Well you're really smart, aren't you soldier?" she smiled mischievously, "How about I show you what I mean" she said, pulling his tie forward, and giving him a long kiss.

His lips were on hers now, and they both closed their eyes, marveling in this new feeling, of joy that seemed to last an eternity. He cupped her face, his kiss trying to show her how she meant the world to him now. She kissed him back with equal fervor, returning his love for her. Their hearts were thudding inside their chests, their hands never straying beyond each other's faces, yet this kiss seemed to be their most passionate one, and also the sweetest one, both of them breathing in the scent of the other, the kiss that would be seared into their memories as they would remember this night in the future, a kiss befitting the moment. Finally, as the need for oxygen became eminent, and they had to come up for air, though they both very much wished that they wouldn't have had to.

Jack gave her a small kiss on the nose, and took out the ring from the box, and slipped it on her finger, the smile never leaving his face. And as Peggy looked up to him, she thought her heart would burst with this happiness.

"Oh my god is that a ring?" Angie shrieked, as Peggy walked into the L&amp;L Automat, a place where they still hung out at times, because of their fond memories associated with it.

"Yes and thanks for alerting half of Manhattan with that news" Peggy said wryly, shaking her head as she took a seat besides Angie.

"When did this happen? How did he propose? When are you getting married?" Angie began, her tone excited.

"Last night at the park.." smiled Peggy, and told her everything that had occurred.

When Peggy had finally exhausted all the details, she said, "You do know I want you as my maid of honor, right. I mean, you'll be the co-maid of honor, technically, since I have to ask my sister as well, but, will you?"

Angie shrieked, and Peggy wondered how one person could hold so much excitement inside themselves, "Oh my God, Peggy of course I'll be your maid of honor. Oh we have so much work ahead of us Pegs, the wedding dress, the venue, the food…of course I'll have to manage the timings if I want to keep this broad way thing goin"

"Hold on, Angie, Jack and I don't want a lavish wedding, we just want a simple ceremony and we only want a few people close to us, to attend it" replied Peggy.

Angie's face fell, "What? Why? You only get married once…well, not necessarily, but still this is going to be one of the most special moments of your life-" when Peggy interrupted her.

"Yes and we want to share it only with the special people in our lives Angie, just our families and a few close friends"

"Alright, we'll see about that-" said Angie slyly and Peggy knew she wasn't going to give up easily. She sighed, _well, you can't win them all,_ she thought wryly.

It was exactly four weeks later that Peggy and Jack stood in a small church, surrounded only by their family and close friends. Peggy's family had flown in from England, her parents had met Jack the last time they were in New York, and had approved of their daughter's choice. Peggy's father walked her down the aisle, her mother already tearing up, even before the ceremony had started, her handkerchief on her nose, trying to stop her sniffling. Peggy's sister and Angie stood at the front, and Jack had Daniel as his best man, while his parents sat in the front row, looking happy, holding each other's hands.

Peggy looked radiant, she had been coerced into wearing a fancy gown for the occasion, even though there were barely fifteen people in attendance. Peggy had managed to convince Angie to give up on the idea of a lavish wedding for them, at some big church. _That's not who we are Angie, _she had said firmly. However, Angie had put her foot down when it came to the dress, she had threatened to sever ties with Peggy if she didn't listen to her when it came to the dress. Now as Peggy walked down the aisle, Jack stood at the end, beaming at his bride, wondering how he had managed to have her in his life, how lucky he was.

They both exchanged their vows, a mixture of traditional ones and the ones they wrote themselves, and kissed as a married couple. After the short ceremony, Howard had insisted on taking everybody out for lunch, insisting that since Jack and Peggy refused to have a big wedding, it was his moral duty to throw them a 'lavish lunch'. As Peggy and Jack sat there, basking in the glow of their new found happiness, surrounded by the people they loved, their families, Angie, Howard and Maria, Daniel and Evelyn, Edwin Jarvis and his lovely wife Anna, Jack looked at Peggy, kissed her hand and thought, _I hope this never ends._

As Peggy lay there, her mind remembering the events of yesterday, she didn't realize she was being watched by her husband, who had woken up moments ago.

"Good morning" he smiled, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Good morning to you too" she grinned at him, surprised but pleased.

He moved slightly and kissed her thoroughly, ignoring her protests of "Jack, I have morning breath". She gave in after a moment, deriving far too much pleasure in kissing her husband to care much about anything else.

He moved on from her mouth to her jaw, and then to her neck, kissing it gently and murmured, "It would have been a better morning if I had gotten any sleep beyond two hours"

"Oh, so you regret not getting enough sleep on your wedding night, do you?" she smirked, as she lightly ran her fingernails all over his arm.

"I don't think we're going to be getting much sleep these next few days…Or years" he said slyly, as she now began kissing his shoulders and then nibbled gently at his neck.

"I can stop if you want me to" she said, challenging him, teasing him with her gentle kisses.

"Oh you're going to be the death of me, my lovely wife" he sighed, "It's a good thing we don't have to be anywhere today, I don't think we're going to be getting out of this bed anytime soon"

"That's a bit presumptuous, don't you think?" she gave him a sly look.

"You tell me" he said, capturing her lips again, as she gave in happily.

As it turned out, Jack was right to assume that neither of them was going to leave their bed anytime soon.

* * *

**10 Years Later**

"Becky, would you mind grabbing your brother's red cap? I think it would be unwise to travel without it given the temper tantrum we witnessed the last time we forgot to bring it with ourselves to uncle Howard's." rang Peggy's voice across the living room, as she was making a strong cup of tea for herself and a coffee for her husband for breakfast.

"Yes mamma" replied Rebecca Thompson, Peggy and Jack's seven year old daughter, who had Peggy's dark hair but her father's striking blue eyes.

"And ask your father to stop dolling up and come here for breakfast" Peggy said.

Becky giggled as she ran to her parents' bedroom and called out her father, "Daddy, mamma's asked to stop dolling up and come for breakfast"

A few seconds later Jack Thompson emerged out of his bedroom, his attire almost complete except for the lack of a coat which he would don at the end, his hair perfectly combed, just the way he liked it.

"So now you're encouraging our seven year old daughter to make fun of me too?" he chuckled, "I thought your days of mocking my appearance were over after we got married"

"Well, you were sadly mistaken, weren't you Chief Thompson?" Peggy smiled as she put his coffee on the table along with some buttered toast.

"I guess I was, wasn't I, Ms. Carter, Head of the New York division of S.H.I.E.L.D?" he joked.

"By the way, I already packed the lasagna, you know…the one that _I _made" he said proudly.

"I must say, you've come a long way from that night you made burnt pasta" she chortled as she buttered her own toast as she sat next to him on the dining table.

"Hey! It was smoky, alright?"

"Whatever pleases you Chief" she said, a half smile grazing her lips.

"It feels like yesterday, doesn't it? Me makin you pasta, you still eating it to avoid hurting my feelings" he said nostalgically.

"Yes, I mean, it's been ten years since you gave me this" she said, looking fondly at her ring.

"I'd say it was pretty good that they allowed you to move back to New York permanently, I don't know how our life would've been like if you still had to travel back and forth like you used to." he said.

"Yes, travelling to England once in two months is better than staying there alone for weeks at an end" she agreed.

"Did the kids have their breakfast already?" he asked, sipping his coffee.

"Yes, both of them did. Alfred's finishing his sketch which he will give to Evelyn when we meet, and Becky's deciding which shoes would go well with her dress" replied Peggy.

"I don't know where the kid picked up his drawing skills, I mean I can't draw a proper circle and I don't think you can draw particularly well" he mused.

"Well, we all have our own talents, don't we?" she smiled, "Come on, let's get them ready to go"

"Another reason I am glad you transferred to New York, is that it would have been rather difficult to have those two little monsters and see them grow up" he said, getting up, "Admittedly our jobs still don't allow us as much time as we'd like with them, but it's still good enough"

"Also, it would have been rather difficult for me to give you a kiss when you said things like these" she smiled, leaning forward to give her husband a well deserved kiss.

* * *

Two hours later, they were at Daniel and Evelyn's place, which was just outside of the city. They had, just like Jack and Peggy, decided to raise their family outside of the hustle and bustle of New York. Although living in two different corners of the city made it rather difficult for their families to meet regularly, they made it a point to meet once a month, when all of their busy schedules permitted it.

The doorbell rang. Peggy got up to open it and was greeted by Howard and Maria Stark, who had married a year after Peggy and Jack. Maria was carrying young Tony, who was just a year old, in her arms. Peggy smiled at the sight of them and welcomed them in.

Peggy had hoped Angie would be able to make it, but alas, her best friend was still busy as a bee, and was working on her latest Hollywood film, the shooting for which was going on in California. Angie had apologized profusely on the telephone, but Peggy said she understood how much Angie's work mattered to her. She could hardly blame Angie for working too much when her own life was so hectic. The initial years after the establishment of S.H.I.E.L.D had been very demanding and it was only when she had settled into her new office after finally having Colonel Phillips convinced that she would be better suited to handle New York, that she and Jack had decided to start a family.

She had been terrified of having to juggle her family and her work, worrying that she would be jeopardizing both, but Jack had been more supportive than any man Peggy could ever have imagined. The first year after Rebecca had been born, he got up at night to change her, he took her out in the park when Peggy was working late hours at the office, he tried to be there as much as he could, despite his own demanding job.

When Alfred was born, Jack had taken it upon himself to finally learn how to cook a decent meal, and not just the basic stuff he knew from his days in the navy. Initially it had been a bit difficult for them to get a hold of things, professionally and on the personal front, but their undying devotion to their family drove both of them to navigate those waters.

As the adults sat in the living room, catching up with each other, Peggy's mind drifted elsewhere. She saw her friends together, Howard and Maria, Daniel and Evelyn, how they were part of her family too. She chuckled quietly, thinking how 10 years ago she would have laughed out loud if someone had told her this is what the future would bring, a stable career, a loving family, an extended family that would consist of Jack, Daniel and Howard being friends. She suddenly remembered how much Jack had despised Howard, and now seeing him talking to Howard, asking him about his inventions, was something she could never have possibly imagined. She thought about her kids, Becky and Alfred, how they enjoyed spending time with Daniel's son David, who was eight, and how Maria glowed when she looked at her young son.

She was brought out of her reverie by Jack, who came and sat next to her and said "Earth to Peggy"

She smiled at him and said, "I was just thinking how we managed to have all this, how lucky we've been"

"Yeah, who would have wondered Peggy Carter would marry Jack Thompson, whom she famously referred to as a toe rag" he chortled.

"That was one time, and I cannot believe you remember it after all these years" she replied indignantly.

"I remember every second of my life with you" he said lovingly, "God Peggy you made me such a sappy man, not that I am complaining….much" he added.

As Peggy laid her head against his shoulder as they sat on the couch, she sighed happily, "We have a good life, unpredictable as it may be"

"Well the unpredictability is partly why it's so good, don't you think?" he asked her.

"Yes I suppose" she smiled, "After all, you and I are not normal people with ordinary lives, are we?"

"That is one thing we're not, contrary to what the world assumes about us" he agreed.

As Peggy and Jack sat there against each other, they were both glad for their extraordinary, complicated yet simple life.

** THE END**

* * *

**Okay, so it's finally over, my first ever piece of fanfiction. It has been an amazing experience for me to write something like this, and I remember how two days without wifi helped me bring this idea to life. As I kept on repeating, I am not a writer by nature, but your continuous support for it made me feel a little less nervous about writing this story about my two favourite characters. I want to thank every single one of you, everyone who read the story, who followed it, who reviewed it and motivated me to continue this story, which is so close to my heart. I hope it lived up to what you expected from this story. Thank you so much for your support, I could not have done this without it. I love you all. Tell me your views on the epilogue, leave one final review :)**


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